as the wild current sings, clarity over skies
by XxZuiliu
Summary: Nagase Kiyo. Former college student, part-time dish-washer; also the very unfortunate victim of a very fatal traffic accident. Currently the resident river kami of a small stream in the middle of nowhere. Or rather, as it turns out… "Damn you, Kishimoto. Shinobi world my ass!" [OC, Spirit!AU, Very AU]
1. of the afterlife and of kami

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Title: as the wild current sings, clarity over skies

Rating: T

Summary: Nagase Kiyo. Former college student, part-time dish-washer; also the very unfortunate victim of a very fatal traffic accident. Currently the resident river kami of a small stream in the middle of nowhere. Or rather, as it turns out… "Damn you, Kishimoto. Shinobi world my ass!" [OC, Spirit!AU, Very AU]

Warnings: … None so far, I think. Just, keep in mind the AU warning, alright?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

(AN at the bottom.)

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* * *

 **as the wild current sings, clarity over skies**

01:

" _In which the afterlife consists of kami-hood. Apparently."_

[(Re)Birth of a Little River God]

* * *

.

In her defense, it hadn't exactly been obvious in the beginning.

…

… Okay, so that's a lie. The major differences had certainly been obvious enough –you don't exactly go from living and breathing as a perfectly normal person to suddenly knowing _nothing,_ nothing but the watery flow of a smooth river, without at least consciously registering _some_ of the changes between the two states of existence.

Like, maybe the tiny fact that she doesn't even have a physical body anymore. Which is just sad, really.

(Absolutely-fucking-scary when she'd first realized it, too.)

It's not even a sensation that she can properly _describe._ It's just… like… like she's floating. In water. Kind of. It's light, buoyant, and there is a gentle current tugging her along the riverbed, except not. Except not, because there's nothing to _tug at,_ and it's like almost like she's flowing along with the water itself, shapeless and formless and–

 _And do you have any idea how terrifying it is, to be fully awake and aware of something like that?_

It's almost like she doesn't _exist._ But she _does._ She still has conscious thoughts and a conscious mind, and surely self-awareness means that she exists and remains alive, right?

Right?

…

So… that thing about 'what comes after death?' That eternal debate about what lies after death, whether it be ultimately going to heaven/hell or being reincarnated or just boom, snap, _nothing?_

None of it included anything about becoming a _river._ Part of a river, at least.

… All things considered, she might've been able to be slightly less hysterical about this entire situation even if she'd been reborn as an ant or something. Well. She might not even have enough mental faculties to be freaking out like this if that had been the case, but on the off-chance that she did, at least it would be something _explainable._ 'Not enough good karma in your life, better luck living as an ant, my friend.'

What the hell does it mean if you're a _sentient river?_

Like, _what the hell?_

.

* * *

.

… She's pretty sure that she's a river, weird as it sounds. Even though she doesn't have a physical body anymore, even though she can't eat or run or jump or move or even _breathe_ –there are new senses open to her now that she finds herself acutely aware of, as a river. Of course she doesn't have an actual body to speak of anymore in the first place, but she's always conscious of a _flowing_ sensation, this indescribable sensation soft water sliding over rocks, the gentle current swirling by.

It's pretty hard to explain using proper words, because it's not like this is something you can find out and see for yourself by reaching out and sticking your hand in a stream; it's not something you can literally feel through physical, tactile senses.

It's not something you feel.

It's not something you _feel,_ it's something you _are._

…

… Which… doesn't really explain anything in the end, huh. Well. She's never claimed to be particularly eloquent; that would be Hikaru-chan.

At any rate –the first thing that she really became aware of in this near-mindless, completely-bodiless state is the _Flow;_ the unceasing, incessant Flow that isn't quite the literal flow of the river nor the flow of a physical state of being, but a Flow that is nonetheless constant and ever-present at her call. She doesn't have a better name or term for it. She doesn't even fully _understand_ it herself, what with being pretty darn sure that she's supposed to be _dead_ and all, but… but apparently not. Not dead. Definitely not dead, not if she's still conscious and self-aware like this.

Even though she doesn't have a body anymore and apparently she's a river now.

In some ways, though, being a river isn't _entirely_ different from being human. She can still _see_ –granted, it's not just looking straight ahead with two eyes anymore since she doesn't even _have eyes,_ as a river (and would you imagine that, a _river_ with _eyes,_ what the fuck). It's more of a strange sort of _awareness_ of what's around her, and there's really no better way to put this aside from that.

(She _'sees'_ a raven flying overhead and the leaf falling from a tree and a rabbit hopping over to take a drink by the riverbed. She _'feels'_ the wind gently stir her topmost current like a light ripple-tickle, and gracefully leap higher and higher to race the clouds. She _'hears'_ the rustling of the underbrush, the bright chirping of a flock of sparrows, the timeless trickle of her own, incessant waves.)

It takes awhile for her to be able to confirm her own state at all –a _river,_ oh boy, Masada-kun would have a _field day_ if he ever found out about this– but once she does, well.

Well.

It's rather strange, this floating, bodiless state in nameless suspension. And she's pretty sure that rivers aren't supposed to have a conscious, thinking mind, except somehow she's turned into the only exception. Which doesn't exactly make her feel any better about this entire thing, but…

She can deal with it.

In all honesty, she's not sure if she's supposed to feel relieved about this or not. On one hand she's thankful to have _somehow_ averted death, if by somehow becoming a _river_ through unknown means, but on the other hand…

… On the other hand, there's not much a river can do, other than just sit here and stare.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

And as a direct result of not really being able to do anything _at all_ aside from listening to birdcalls and watching squirrels and counting leaves drifting by in the passing breeze, she finds herself with a heck of a lot of time for reflection on her hands, left alone with her wandering thoughts. It's not an entirely good thing, because she always, always eventually finds her mind wandering to questions like–

 _How did I even end up here?_

 _Why aren't I dead?_

 _Am I even supposed to still be alive?_

And sometimes, sometimes, her thoughts touch on the incident that landed her in this situation in the first place. It… well.

… Can you imagine?

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* * *

.

Think of it like this:

Winter. Light snow. Thin ice on the streets, frost on the windowpanes. You are sitting in a car with some friends, fellow classmates from the same college, and you're driving with them down the bridge to help another friend move stuff out from her apartment, and maybe grab some dinner together afterwards. There's a nice, warm, companionable air inside the car, a sharp contrast to the ice-cold river thundering beneath the bridge outside.

And then, suddenly–

Suddenly there's nothing nice _at all_ anymore, because _holy shit,_ the car is cruising along nicely at seventy miles per hour just like everyone else but _where the hell did that random pedestrian run out from, doesn't he know that it's fucking DANGEROUS to tear out across a street full of speeding cars what the fuck–_

Furthermore, it just so happens that it is the one friend who's a little _twitchy_ and _gets startled easily_ who's driving for the group today. Because the ditzy girl lets out a startled yelp upon seeing a person directly in the car's path and roughly _swerves_ without a second thought and–

And you're smart enough to put together the rest of the pieces together, surely.

Snowy day. Seventy miles per hour. Sharp, sudden turn of the car under _that_ type of weather, at _that_ sort of speed, all to avoid collision with a brain-dead pedestrian at the hands of a startled, panicked driver.

(It's a recipe for disaster. A recipe that can only end in disaster.)

…

After that…

Well.

She certainly remembers _screaming;_ lots and lots of it. Hikaru had a very healthy set of lungs on her, for a girl who was so dead-set on being silent so much of the time. Daichi's usual low baritone could hit surprisingly high octaves.

… She herself had been screaming, too. So much that her head swam and her ears rung and panic, panic, _panic_ was clogging her throat in that whirlwind of blurry, underwater terror and–

…

… And… she doesn't really remember much, after that. She doesn't remember the exact details, crushed to death by the combined weight and pressure of water beneath the river and drowning, then somehow _becoming_ a _river_ of all things by the end of the mess. But maybe it's a good thing that she doesn't remember, because she is quite sure that she doesn't need to be mentally scarred any more than she already has been. Is. Even though she _would_ appreciate details on how she came to be in her current position… an explanation would be nice.

There's literally no one she can ask, though. And even if there was, it's not like she even has a _voice_ to ask anything with anymore. Which sucks, but… it's okay.

She can deal with it.

She _has_ to.

Nagase Kiyo is a practical sort of girl. The hardy, adaptable sort. Comes with being the eldest, maybe. And this isn't exactly the first time she's been thrown off the deep end, floundering and flailing, even if it's not of the same sort as her prior experiences.

Father and mother fighting day in and day out over the technicalities regarding the financial distributions of a divorce? Kiyo warily side-eyes the increasingly heated arguments over the dinner table and quietly makes sure her younger siblings get to school on time, and checks to see that the kids always have someone to pick them up in the afternoons.

Mother losing her job and finding solace in a bottle? The girl sets her jaw and buckles down to go out to find a job; there's a restaurant down the street that reluctantly takes in an extra dish-washer-slash-occasional-waitress, and she spends the majority of her time after she finishes her schoolwork looking for scholarships.

A _lot._

… And occasionally she takes the phone and gives her little siblings a call, too. See how dad's treating them and such, given that the man gained custody of the kids following the divorce. Mother dearest made off with more money on her end.

Anyways, fact is; it's not exactly news that life had and has always been throwing a lot of crap in Kiyo's way. She knows that she certainly doesn't have it as bad it could've been, probably, but she also knows that, in comparison with a significant portion of her classmates, classmates whose only worries were grades and boys and social circles–

No, it doesn't matter.

If there's one thing the girl has learned from her experiences, it's that complaining never helps. Of course, it doesn't stop her from complaining from time to time (stress relief, anyone?), but it does stop her from expecting anything to come of it.

So, Nagase Kiyo. Twenty-one. College student. Formerly.

…

Current status: ? ? ?

.

* * *

.

So, _kami-hood._

Not exactly something you expect after dying.

(Not exactly something you'd expect to happen, _period._ )

Kiyo becomes vaguely aware that she's a sentient river (and doesn't the weirdness of _that_ unsettle her) pretty quickly. It's something that she finds herself being rather ambivalent about as a whole, because while she acknowledges that she's lucky for not outright _dying,_ she's not exactly _alive,_ either. Is this what it means to be a ghost, maybe? She'd always thought that ghosts had their own spectral bodies, though.

Or maybe that could be blamed on pop media _._

Still, misconceptions regarding the state of deceased souls aside –Kiyo might not be the smartest girl in her class, but she's not _stupid._ Becoming a sentient river post-mortem… is weird and freaky and creepy as hell when you stop to pause and think about it in those terms, but she's always been the adaptable sort, thankfully. She consoles herself by telling herself that there are worse states of being out there than being reincarnated as a nonliving river, most likely. There are worse things to be than being not-quite-dead-but-not-exactly-alive.

She doesn't connect the dots and think of _kami-hood_ until a _kappa_ comes along and nearly drowns in her river (yes, an honest-to-goodness _kappa,_ drowning… a _kappa_ of unique and unusual talents, it seems).

… Actually, she doesn't connect the dots at all. It's the _kappa_ who calls her _kami-sama,_ and only _then_ does she have the first faint inkling that, maybe–

Maybe she's something more than just a 'sentient river.'

…

.

* * *

.

It happens something like this:

Sunlight. Blue sky. Puffy clouds.

Another day of boredom.

Kiyo is counting the leaves again in those trees standing a little ways beyond her riverbanks –and you know that it _really_ says something about your level of boredom when you start counting well into the thousands– and starts slipping into a bit of a blank trance again. She doesn't actually need to sleep, not anymore, but she falls into a meditative trance from time to time, existing and not existing and simply _being,_ of one heart and one mind with the ever-present Flow for an instant and an eternity before coming back to herself again.

At any rate, _that_ is when she feels it.

A loud splash, which is nothing new, nothing of concern. She's had things fall into her river before, from leaves and twigs to rocks and fruits. It's bigger than usual this time, but it's nothing too concerning–

And here, _here_ is where the monotony of her days is irrevocably shattered.

(The arrival of the _kappa_ -who-can't-swim. Not that she _knows_ it at first. All she is vaguely aware of is a splash, and then–)

 _A sudden spike of panic, fear, terror._

It's startling, jarring, and almost immediately she snaps her attention away from the trees (three thousand seven hundred and ninety-two). The fear mounts and grows at a rapid pace and she _–she doesn't like it._ Moreover, it's not hers. Kiyo had only ever felt such raw fear when she'd been in that awful, awful traffic accident with her friends, and once is more than enough, in her books. She wants no part of such primal terror, and before she is even aware of it, she's _pushing_ –never mind the what or how when she doesn't even know what it is, when she doesn't even have a physical body, just wholly focused on _shoving_ that ball of fear away from her as terror mirrors itself in her own mind, and–

And she blinks, startled.

Once, twice.

…

Sunlight. Blue skies. Puffy clouds.

Verdant foliage of trees providing dappled shade, leaves stirring in the invisible breeze.

It's something she has grown _so used_ to seeing, but it –it's not the same. It's not the sort of all-encompassing awareness she had of it before. She's still _aware_ of everything, yes, but there's a narrower focus on the subject of her attention now, right before her eyes, as if she has a limited field of vision and–

Wait.

 _Eyes._

Kiyo looks down, suddenly acutely aware of something like trepidation and anticipation beating in tandem together in her mind, and there it is.

 _There it is._

Pale, pink-ish hands. Small. Much smaller than she recalls her own hands being, once upon a time, but–

 _Hands, I have hands again!_

She runs her hands _–hands, she has_ hands _again_ , _she has_ hands– delicately, gently over her arms. And shoulders. And… and she can _feel_ it and it's _real;_ after so long of just floating around as practically nothing, the sensation of having a _physical body_ again is… it's…

Indescribable.

"This… this is the best day of my life," Kiyo declares shakily, full of emotion, and is so _happy_ when she hears a _voice,_ and even if it's jarringly different from _her_ voice, it's a voice. This body has a voice. _She has a body again–_

And in her elated excitement as she suddenly skips into the burst of an impromptu, celebratory dance with legs and limbs that feel small and clumsy and _oh dear lord,_ she _finally_ has a body again, she nearly entirely overlooks the _kappa_ gaping at her. The _kappa._ The frog-like, amphibian creature standing nearly as tall as a seven year-old child that just… kind of forgets to keep heaving up the water it swallowed as it chokes, _staring_ at her.

Despite her initial oversight, though, she does notice the poor _kappa_. Eventually. It's kind of hard to miss a giant shiny green-blue froglike creature that just keeps on _staring_ at you.

She kind of freezes mid-dance when she finally sees the _kappa_ to the side. _Not her fault._ Humanoid frogs automatically equated to _monster_ in her mind, but just before she could start running–

Well, the _kappa_ snapped out of its stupor and reacted first.

The girl gives a small start when the creature suddenly goes and firmly slams its webbed hands onto the ground, before proceeding to dig a hole in the ground with its head in grim determination, repeatedly slamming its head down in front of her. Err, bowing. In a very intense manner.

"My greatest gratitude for the magnanimous mercy that has been shown to this foolish, insignificant one, who has so blindly and unknowingly trespassed in your waters in his ignorance, _kami-sama_!" the _kappa_ practically screams out, and her jaw nearly drops wide open. _It speaks!_ "Your magnificence and kindness is surely the height of–

"Wait, wait, wait, _stop."_ Snapping back to her senses, Kiyo holds up her hands in the universal 'stop' gesture and peers over at the giant frog warily. The giant humanoid frog was a trembling cross between pathetically sniveling and shamelessly groveling at her feet. Since it looked like it was the farthest thing from wanting to leap up and eat her or something, though… would it be considered rude to start inching away? "… Start over, again. From the beginning."

"… This wretched one now deeply realizes the grave error he made in blundering into your territory without permission, and deeply regrets the disturbance he has caused! This lowly one thanks you with all the stars of heaven, o benevolent _kami-sama_ , for–"

 _"Speak normally, please."_

… Also, ' _kami-sama_?' Was there something wrong with this creature's head? Why was it calling her a _kami?_

"This… this unworthy one would not _dare_ be as presumptuous to address _kami-sama_ in such an improper, unbefitting manner as–"

"You're giving me a headache like this, so too bad," Kiyo says bluntly, her earlier joy from _having a body again_ beginning to slowly dissipate. Instead she feels… distinctly unsettled, by the display that she sees before her. "Now at least _try_ to _speak normally,_ because I've got a few questions for you, um…"

 _Whatever the hell you happen to be_ did not seem like a very good note to begin a productive line of questioning on. Fortunately, the humanoid frog meekly stopped trying to burrow its head into the ground.

(That was good –if he'd decided to take off and run for it, who knew when she'd see another sentient creature to speak with again?)

"… Yes, _kami-sama,"_ the creature whispers. "This lowly _kappa_ shall heed your every command."

 _Kappa?_

She shakes her head, choosing to ignore that detail for the moment. "Where is this place, exactly? And what are you doing here?"

There is a strange look in the kappa's eyes at her questions, but he answers obediently. "From the deep mountain springs of _Kaikasan_ does the _Byakure-gawa_ flow; this unworthy one has been truly blessed, to possess the fortune to kneel down before _kami-sama_ here, at the border of what most humans now call _Hi no Kuni,_ while few others claim to be the domain of _Mizu no Kuni."_

Something about the names rings a bell. 'Land of fire' and 'land of water?'

… Well, at least she had a name for the river now. _Byakure-gawa_ was a strange name, but there were stranger things out there, she supposed.

"This lowly one… from youth, this lowly one has been unable to swim so freely and effortlessly as all of his fellow kinsmen do, and has often been ridiculed for it," the kappa continues. "Upon hearing of an empty river, this wretched one decided to train in secret here. But this foolish one now realizes that he should never have trusted stray rumors and hearsay, and apologizes deeply for disturbing _kami-sama_ in her rest."

The froglike creature finishes its words with the flourish of another deep bow. Kiyo stares.

"Where did you get the idea that I'm… that I'm a ' _kami-sama?'"_ she finally asks, unable to keep her curiosity contained any longer at the continued, persisted form of address that was grossly inaccurate.

The _kappa_ only blinked large, yellow eyes up at her. "… _Kami-sama_ reached out and saved this unworthy one from drowning in her river, did she not? _Kami-sama_ commanded the waves to bring this lowly one ashore. The river's song is drawn about you, _kami-sama._ You are the river itself."

"The river–" she abruptly breaks off, whirling around, struck by a sudden thought.

The river.

 _The river._

Even though she finally has a _physical human body_ again, she still feels the _river,_ the ever-present Flow streaming wildly about her ceaselessly, incessantly, even though she shouldn't physically be part of the water anymore, and–

And there it is, right behind her.

Clear waters, rippling surface.

She can see her own reflection –and it's _not her._

When Kiyo looks down, the reflection of a dainty, graceful child stares back at her, pale-skinned and wide-eyed with the color of a soft river dream, a stray, shallow current swirling at the edge of rock clusters under rain. That's not the most notable thing about her new appearance, though. Her _hair_ –her hair is a light, almost-translucent blue, long and flowing and spilling over her shoulders and down her back with a silken, watery texture. Sunlight-hitting-water, bright and dappled underneath the tree shade.

… She's a _child._ Gorgeous, yes, particularly in comparison to her old appearance as a perfectly normal old girl, but now she's somehow been turned into a _freaking little kid._

If the _kappa_ hadn't been kneeling on the ground all this time, she'd probably stand even shorter than the _frog._ And even despite the _kappa_ kneeling, they're practically still the same height.

She's a _midget._

"… _Kami-sama?"_ the _kappa_ questions nervously, lightly, unaware of the scattered thoughts racing through her mind in wake of the continued silence, and Kiyo is struck by the sudden urge to fold in on herself and give in to a bout of hysterical laughter. But she restrains herself. No need to scare off the _kappa_ even more than it was probably already put off by her decidedly un-kami-like behavior.

 _Kami,_ her?

Boring old Nagase Kiyo, a _kami?_

… Give Kiyo her old life back any day; what does it even mean to be a _kami?_ She wouldn't even know where to start. River spirit, indeed.

Maybe… maybe it's all just a hoax? A lie? It's been awhile now, but… yes, yes, it's been awhile. She should be waking up from this crazy dream any day now, and she'll wake up in the hospital and–

"Would _kami-sama_ require any services of this lowly one?" the _kappa_ offers tentatively, obliviously breaking into her thoughts. "This lowly one is not yet skilled enough to pass through the protective wards of the _onmyouji-_ dwelling _Konoha,_ but there are a few farming villages nearby that this humble servant would be honored to visit and retrieve items from for _kami-sama_ in apology for his ignorant transgressions, if _kami-sama_ so wishes."

… Konoha?

Kiyo suddenly remembers the earlier mentions of _Hi no Kuni_ and _Mizu no Kuni,_ and now _Konoha._ Something about it, in that moment… _clicks._

" _Onmyouji_ , you said?" she remarks lightly, and is impressed by how steady her voice comes out to be. _Steady_ is just about the last thing she is feeling at this moment. "Exorcist village, not a shinobi village? _Konoha?"_

"Yes," the _kappa_ sounds almost confused by her words. "It is the largest _onmyouji_ settlement in _Hi no Kuni_ of the humans, led by an exorcist of the Sarutobi Clan, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was disciple to the legendary Senju Hashirama of the Senju Clan claiming lineage from the Old Gods. Is there anything amiss, _kami-sama?"_

Konoha, Hi no Kuni, Mizu no Kuni. Sarutobi Hiruzen, Senju Hashirama?

Naruto. _Naruto._ A manga.

A manga detailing the story of Uzumaki Naruto, and his adventures as a ninja.

…

…

… Kishimoto, she decides with a fierce vehemence in the privacy of her own mind, is a _liar._ It is quite evident to her that the man missed out on a few key details while writing about the shinobi world –most notably, the fact that _there are no ninjas in this supposedly 'shinobi world.'_

So much for knowing the future.

.

* * *

.

…

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* * *

 **Edit 25.08.16:** Rough edit of chapter. If there are more mistakes wandering around in the text, please let me know.

 **Edit 25.12.16:** Second edit, picked out a few more grammar mistakes and the like. Please let me know of any mistakes still remaining here if you spot them. Merry Christmas!

* * *

Author's Notes:

Welcome to _as the wild current sings, clarity over skies._ Bit of a mouthful, isn't it? I'm just going to call this 'wild current' from here on out.

So… nothing from canon here yet. Don't take any of this too seriously, either, as you can probably already tell by the language of the narrative.

This story was basically sparked by the thought: 'What if the bijuu in the Naruto-verse were really demons, and not superpower chakra beings?' … I will admit right here and now that I've never finished reading the Naruto manga (barely read any of Shipuuden and most of what I know about it is from other fanfiction stories) so I don't really know what's going on with Kaguya. Rabbit goddess? Time to read the Naruto wiki.

…

… Yeah, basically just another wild plot bunny running around here. Anyone interested in the setup at all? Intro here is just to see if anyone is interested in this sort of thing at all, OC in an AU!Naruto-verse.

* * *

 **QUESTION:** Any interest in this sort of setup? Also, uh… I guess, leave behind any suggestions for what you think would be cool to see? Ex. Uchiha clan being tengu demons or something, I don't know.

* * *

Cheers,

XxZuiliu


	2. of loneliness and of another kappa

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Title: as the wild current sings, clarity over skies

Rating: T

Summary: Nagase Kiyo. Former college student, part-time dish-washer; also the very unfortunate victim of a very fatal traffic accident. Currently the resident river kami of a small stream in the middle of nowhere. Or rather, as it turns out… "Damn you, Kishimoto. Shinobi world my ass!" [OC, Spirit!AU, Very AU]

Warnings: Nothing noteworthy so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

(AN at the bottom.)

.

* * *

 **as the wild current sings, clarity over skies**

02:

" _Living the lonely river life… and then another kappa comes. Or, well, two of them."_

[Solitude: 1/2]

* * *

.

The _kappa's_ name is Ryou, as it turns out.

("So, what should I call you?"

"Th-this lowly one would be honored to be addressed as Ryou, _kami-sama."_ )

When the humanoid frog had first departed –hastily scrambled away with its ungainly limbs, really, after that awkward initial meeting by the river– Kiyo had honestly thought that she would never see it again, that she'd probably ended up scaring it away with her peculiar un-kami-like behavior and weird questions. But lo and behold, much to her surprise, the _kappa_ returned a few days later with a small offering of chestnuts that it carefully set into the river.

"Thank you for saving this unworthy one's life, _kami-sama._ Please accept this small token of gratitude."

An offering.

And it was _different,_ somehow, from having sticks and stones and leaves fall into the river. There was a certain thread of warmth to it this time –but perhaps _warmth_ isn't the correct word to be using here, because it's not warm, not exactly. The Flow of the river is cool; not cold, not freezing, but a pleasant sort of coolness that ripples beneath the dappled shade of sunlight-slipping-through-flowering-trees. It is not so much _warmth_ of the river that she feels, but a different sort of warmth, the kind that reaches past physical form and directly brushes against the core of her being; a quiet, shy whisper of _thank you, thank you, thank you–_

Kiyo hadn't reappeared in front of the _kappa_ as it kneeled down and bowed to the river thrice, slowly pressing its forehead to the ground each time. No sense in re-enacting a similar scene from last time –what if she startled and scared the poor creature even more? What if she caused it to panic again?

She did keep her attention on the _kappa_ –on Ryou– as the creature left, though, weaving through the underbrush and disappearing at the edge of the treeline as he vanished from sight.

(She didn't know it at the time, hopeful as she had been by his reappearance, but… it would be the last time that she would ever see him again.)

…

The chestnuts he'd brought her were… sweet. Very much so.

.

* * *

.

"A little clumsy, a little too much regard for etiquette," Kiyo remarks to the passing wind rustling verdant leaves of the forest foliage. "But I think there's nothing wrong with his heart. Even though I weirded him out a lot, he still came back to give me some chestnuts, so that's gotta count for something, right?"

No one responds to her, of course. But Kiyo thinks that she hears a light, airy laughter in the next gusty breeze that sighs across the river's surface, twisting and spinning delicate flowery ripples over every other current. She catches a glimpse of a pair of birds with brilliantly blue-tipped wings, though, glittering under the sunlight and darting with the wind.

"… Ugh. I'm probably going insane."

.

* * *

.

But she's _not._ Going insane, that is. (Albeit things would make a lot more sense to her if she really _was_ insane.) As it is, though… in the end, Ryou's arrival here was only a signal, of sorts. A trigger. A dawning realization, of her new situation and new circumstances.

 _This is a world of spirits._

 _Spirits really exist._

 _Spirits._

 _Are._

 _Real._

… _How bizarre is that?_

Very bizarre, she thinks privately to herself in her mind, the only place where she is certain that her words won't be overheard and stolen away by chattering birdlike wind-spirits. But it's not as if she can deny reality when reality is staring her in the face; practically _smacking_ her face, honestly.

So, spirits.

 _Yokai._

 _Ayakashi._

Ryou, the _kappa,_ is only one of the many, many spirits existing in this world. That much, Kiyo is sure of. After the open encounter on the riverbanks with the unusual _kappa,_ when she had manifested a human form outside of the river, it was as if a door had been opened in the back of her mind.

Clarity. Light.

No, no, that's not right.

 _Understanding._

Yes, _understanding_ sounds more like it. Something in the ever-present Flow that she'd always constantly felt seemed more… tangible. Real. Instead of a hazy concept, it was something she could reach out and take hold of and–

.

* * *

.

 _Flick, twist._

She spins and undulates and she is a fish in the river, swimming with the current downstream, and–

 _Blink, turn._

She is a pebble on the riverbanks, sprayed by light mists of water from the river underneath the sunlight–

 _Sigh, breathe._

Kiyo opens her eyes and she is human again.

Out of all the forms that she's been able to take thus far, only the shape of a human feels _right_ to her, for all that it's the body of a small little child instead of a grown woman. Only the shape of a human, aside from the bodiless state as a river that she has grown used to by now –the panic of those early days as a river had long since faded by this point.

( _Time._ It's hard to have a concept of _time._ Counting the days one by one only makes her feel like she's going insane again, and sometimes she drifts and becomes one with the Flow and opens her eyes only to see that the leaves have changed color and flowering bushes have borne fruit.)

.

* * *

.

…

It's… lonely, this new existence as a river in the middle of nowhere, with only trees and the whistling wind for company. There are animals, of course, but it's not the same as being able to stop and talk to another sentient being –and sometimes, sometimes Kiyo finds herself regretting her behavior when she'd spoken to the _kappa._ To Ryou. She'd probably scared him off permanently and only his sense of propriety forced him to come back with an offering; it wasn't likely that he would come back again after that, and…

And she's _tried,_ leaving this river. She can take on a human form now. Strange coloring of her hair and eyes aside, there's nothing setting her apart from any other human child –maybe she'd find a hat somewhere along the way, cover up the irregularities and find a village and–

It doesn't work.

She never makes it.

…

.

* * *

.

… Maybe it's because she's a river, she thinks. A river is bound to the land, so very unlike the carefree wind flitting so freely over the skies. Kiyo only ever makes it to the edge of the treeline where she sees the faint outline of a dusty, worn road before she finds herself unable to move, as if there is an invisible barrier preventing her from taking that final step outwards.

(Outwards and into the light.)

The frustration of it is enough to make her _scream_ –but she doesn't.

Instead, she casts a longing look at the world beyond her riverbed, then turns heel and begins walking back the way she came, footsteps soft and utterly silent against the blades of dewy grass, and releases her hold on this human form, returning back to the river as she closes her eyes and sleeps.

Even if she can confirm that she's not insane for dreaming up a world of spirits in which she is a river _kami,_ if she dwells on this particular matter for any longer, she'll be driving _herself_ insane.

(Kiyo has never been the most sociable person, the most outgoing and outspoken of her friends, but… but the emptiness of the forest around her river, the emptiness of the river itself, it–

It's all so very, _very_ lonely.

… Kiyo _screams._ )

.

* * *

.

"I think I'm going mad."

Even the wind does not respond to her words this time. Kiyo closes her eyes and drifts back into the Flow. Being a river is so much easier than being a human.

(But is she really even human now? Can she even call herself human anymore?)

.

* * *

.

Time passes, seasons change.

Kiyo sleeps, and the incessant Flow continues on.

.

* * *

.

"… _please… sama… kami-sama…"_

Underwater.

The voice sounds like it's coming from somewhere far, far away –and it _is._ Far away, faraway. A faraway voice, stirring at the very edges of her consciousness, but it's easy to overlook, as she does so often nowadays. What would be the point in waking?

Kiyo is drifting along as part of the Flow, everywhere and nowhere all at once, both greater and lesser than what she is in this timeless moment when she only exists as the very essence of the river itself. She doesn't feel anything anymore in this state, and… and it's good. Oftentimes she finds herself thinking more and more these days that it's so much easier to be _river_ than to be _human,_ because rivers simply _are_ while humans, humans–

"… _less… useless. It's… empty river… never been… kami here…"_

"… _wrong. You're wrong, my father…"_

But unlike the rustling of leaves, the trilling birdcalls from the branches; momentary splashes that ripple and fade… the voices do not leave this time. These voices. These voices, they _linger,_ and something about it catches her attention –ah, _voices,_ are they not? Voices. Sentient creatures. Humans, perhaps?

… No, not humans. Not humans.

Humans do not have _that_ sort of appearance.

 _Spirit._

 _Ayakashi._

 _… Kappa,_ she thinks, with a vague memory of a kappa who had once nearly drowned to death in her river. How many seasons had it been since he came and brought her chestnuts?

(Didn't matter. Not like he was ever coming back again, otherwise she would've seen him long ago. Not that she cared about it, really. Really.)

"… _baseless claims… can't… c'mon, let's go. We can't…"_

" _No! Not when… came this far… don't…"_

" _It's just a tale, hime-sama… your father… maybe an illusion, his imagination…"_

" _Father wouldn't lie to me! On his deathbed… not about this…"_

Ah… what does it matter, though? The _kappa_ left. Probably too unsettled by her. Or too scared of the presumed 'authority' she held over it. Not that it _mattered_ to her or anything; why would it ever matter? … The _kappa_ was its own person; it held no obligation to visit her. No obligation at all. And Kiyo wasn't so far gone yet as to stoop to drastic measures to gain some semblance of company. She _wasn't,_ and would never be, because–

Because–

…

… Not because of something as immaterial and as fickle as _morals,_ though she distinctly remembers something gossamer-thin lurking like that in the recesses of her mind, several river-flows and frost-turns ago. She doesn't really remember precisely. Wind and rain, ebb and flow, and the river flows on, ever on. Not morals. Not because of morals and ideals. At its core, it's all so very much simpler than that; it's only because–

It's only just because she is a river.

Kiyo is a river.

… She is a _river_ now. A river, not a human. And rivers don't need company. That's just silly to even imagine, isn't it?

(Maybe if she repeats it to herself enough times, she will come to believe in it wholeheartedly. Life would become so much easier to bear that way, she thinks, and sighs tiredly.)

Kiyo is about to brush away the voices insistently lingering at the edge of her awareness to return to the Flow, more than used to her solitude by this point and seeing no _reason_ to dabble in anything not of her concern.

(So what if this world was one with spirits and demons living in it? So what if it was a twisted version of the world a manga artist had created? It wasn't like _she_ had anything to do with anything whatsoever; she was only a _river–_ )

Then one of the voices is no longer a whisper anymore. No longer.

 _A scream._

 _A wail._

 _Desperation, a cry of pain._

"I beg of you, _kami-sama,_ if you can hear my voice, please, _please…!"_

And Kiyo finds herself opening her eyes again, to a world that she doesn't know whether to love or hate anymore.

.

* * *

.

 _"What do you want?"_

Scales. Sunlight-hitting-scales, gleaming and shining on the grassy riverbanks.

She opens her ocean-eyes towards the voice that had called out to her and sees blue-green scales with a light touch of lilac, glittering gold. A _kappa._ And, judging by its voice –female. Unlike its companion.

… There is something almost familiar about the creature, for all that Kiyo knows she has never seen it before. She has only ever met and spoken with one other sentient being since her rebirth in this silent world, a world which she can't even really find it in herself to muster up any true _interest_ for anymore–

(She's a river, bound to the land, forever tied to this ground; where can she go? _Where can she go?_ It's enough to drive a person _insane–_

Maybe it's a good thing that she's not exactly human, then. Not completely. Not anymore.)

"What do you want?" she asks again of the silently gaping _kappa._ Both of them, one blue-green and one yellow-green. And though her voice is long unused, it does not stop her from speaking clearly, does not stop her words from ringing openly and clearly over the trickle and gurgle of the stream. There is no note of reprimand that she issues, nor is there curiosity. There's not really any inflection to it at all –and Kiyo isn't really even sure why she's decided to make herself known.

She's not lonely. She's a river. She has no desire at all to become involved with a world she cannot touch, cannot see, cannot experience for herself. There's no _point_ in doing so… something she has come to realize in the countless years of solitude with nothing but the empty wind and rustling trees for company, aside from the solace of the ever-present Flow.

" _K-Kami-sama…"_ the blue-green _kappa_ whispers, a reverent whisper that echoes ever so loudly against the backdrop of the silent forest. The title _grates_ against something in her, though–

(She's not a _kami,_ not a deity. She's just a lonely river. She's…

She's just Kiyo.)

"If you have nothing to say, then please leave," Kiyo says quietly, twining a few strands of silvery-blue hair around her fingertips, cold as night and soft as silk. It dissolves into water in the palms of her hands. "… Well? I'm waiting."

The blue-green _kappa_ gulps, then squares her shoulders and sinks into a deep bow at her feet. On the other hand, it takes another moment for the yellow-green kappa to re-gather himself before promptly following suit, shaking off its surprise at her appearance. He presses himself into the ground and does not rise again.

" _Kami-sama,"_ the blue-green _kappa_ whispers. "It is an honor to be graced with your presence. I am called Ryouko, a simple tribeswoman who has been blessed to be chosen as the Speaker and Representative of the Forest Blue, and… and I apologize for my brazenness, in disturbing you so directly like this."

Her voice wavers. Kiyo does not speak, simply waiting. The _kappa_ fixes its eyes to the mud on the ground.

"Our tribe has lost our home." A shaky breath, thinly-withheld pain. A voice laden with the promise of unshed tears. But the _kappa_ forges on. "The so-called _Toad Tribe,_ distant kinsmen of our kind, have promised themselves to the blood of humans, and have now turned on their own brethren in aim of expanding their territory. We… I am most ashamed to admit that we were not able to… to defend our lands."

"What is your point?"

For all that Kiyo's voce is even, measured and slow and not judgmental in the least, the _kappa_ still flinches, and her male companion stiffens on the ground next to her.

"We would ask sanctuary of you, _kami-sama,"_ she says hoarsely. "Tenka-sama of the Blue Marsh is no more. We would beg for your lenience, to allow us to rebuild our home here on your lands. With your permission, _kami-sama,_ we would be willing to–"

"Why?"

"I–" the _kappa_ blinks, startled. "Because _kami-sama_ is one with the river; with your blessing, we hope to–"

"Don't give me a diplomatic answer," _Or any of that sort of flowery shit,_ Kiyo adds in the privacy of her own mind. Best not to traumatize the _kappa_ too much, for all that she doesn't care much for their troubles and woes. She _doesn't._ "Why did you come to me? No one comes here. Nothing lives here. You've been out and about in the world, haven't you? Surely you know of some other _kami_ to turn to. Someone who is infinitely stronger and wiser than I."

It takes a moment for the blue-green _kappa_ to respond, stunned as it is by her words.

"No, no, _no!_ I… _kami-sama…"_ the creature's voice is decidedly distressed. "We chose to turn to _kami-sama_ for your kindness. It is true that we know of other gods, some who might be willing to accept us in their lands, but–"

"You know nothing about me," Kiyo warns. Maybe once she would've agreed without hesitation, in times before and seasons long past, but now she knows herself to be a river as much as she was once human; she certainly knows of things like _human kindness,_ but she is also just as much the unforgiving current of the winter stream. "I do not–"

"It may be insignificant to one such as _kami-sama,_ who exists as one with the sun and moon and countless stars of the heavens," the _kappa_ says, "But… my late father once told me stories of your benevolence, _kami-sama._ You saved a foolish _kappa_ who nearly drowned in your river."

…

 _"My greatest gratitude for the magnanimous mercy that has been shown to this foolish, insignificant one, who has so blindly and unknowingly trespassed in your waters in his ignorance,_ _kami-sama_!"

…

…

… Ah.

She remembers.

It's been… many, many seasons since then, hasn't it? The foolish _kappa_ that she'd scared off with her thoughtlessness.

"… Ryou," she says, tasting the word on her tongue. The blue-green _kappa's_ eyes widen in surprise at this, and a wild light of happiness enters those bright eyes. A flash of hope. Kiyo pretends to overlook this all, instead choosing to stare at the riverbed. "His name is… Ryou, isn't it? You call yourself Ryouko?"

"Yes, _kami-sama."_

Kiyo looks at Ryouko, and her companion. The other _kappa_ has not spoken once from the beginning of her appearance, but the tension in his body has not drained –and it is clear that, even through his awe and fear of a _kami,_ if any harm were to befall Ryouko…

Such loyalty.

She feels almost jealous.

… Joking, joking. What need would a river ever have for companionship?

(She's a river, she's a river, she's just a _river._ Maybe if she repeats it to herself enough times, she'll finally come to believe that… but…

…

But until then…)

"You can stay," Kiyo turns away. "You didn't need my explicit permission for that, but I… appreciate the conversation. It's been nice. I haven't talked with anyone in a long time."

.

* * *

.

Time for a quick self-reflection:

The first time Kiyo talked with a _kappa,_ she'd ended up scaring the poor creature away, even if it somehow still remained grateful towards her for inadvertently saving its life. The second time she talked with a _kappa,_ it was the first _kappa's_ daughter. Ryouko was not as much of a stickler to traditions as Ryou had been, but apparently the second time Kiyo had been a little too standoffish and came off as cold, distant. Intimidating. It was probably a side-effect of the countless seasons living and breathing as the _Flow_ more than as _Kiyo._

(She doesn't regret becoming one with the Flow. Otherwise, she would've gone _mad._ Loneliness does strange things to the mind.)

The third time Kiyo talks with a _kappa,_ it's the grandson.

And if the first time she saves a _kappa's_ life and the second time she saves a _kappa's_ entire tribe, well…

The third time isn't too different, in that respect. The third time, Kiyo saves a _kappa_ again.

She saves a _kappa,_ and a fucking _dragon._

.

* * *

.

…

.

* * *

 **25.12.16:** Rough edit. Let me know of any mistakes still in the text. Merry Christmas!

* * *

Author's Notes:

Second chapter is out. Still not quite sure where this story is headed, exactly, but Naruto characters will trickle in gradually. Starting from the next chapter, actually, so please look forward to that! :D

Also, I've started reading _Natsume Yuujinchou,_ so you can expect to see some elements from that incorporated in here later on as well. ;3 If you're interested in stories about spirits and the like, I would definitely recommend that manga as well.

I actually wanted to include Haku and Zabuza in this chapter, but it didn't end up happening. That's pretty likely to happen in the next chapter, though. Any guesses on what they're going to appear as? :D Cyber cookies for those who guess correctly, haha.

School has already started for me so updates are going to be slowing down. I feel like a Spirit!AU is something fun to play with, though, so I'll probably try not to abandon this. But yeah, updates are going to be slow, I think. Sorry. Share any ideas you might have or things you'd like to see happen in a Naruto Spirit!AU, though? :D Inspiration/more motivation to update, haha. Squeeze writing time out of college life lol. Tall order, that.

* * *

 **QUESTION(1):** Any ideas in particular that you'd like to see happen in this fic? Still taking suggestions here. Kyuubi as the boss of all kitsune is _definitely_ something that's going to be happening in the future. ;3

 **QUESTION(2):** What's your favorite yokai?

* * *

Leave a review, please! Reviews are encouragement to update. :D Also, if you see errors/mistakes wandering around in the text, please let me know. Thanks!

Till next time,

XxZuiliu


	3. of new neighbors and of change

.

Title: as the wild current sings, clarity over skies

Rating: T

Summary: Nagase Kiyo. Former college student, part-time dish-washer; also the very unfortunate victim of a very fatal traffic accident. Currently the resident river kami of a small stream in the middle of nowhere. Or rather, as it turns out… "Damn you, Kishimoto. Shinobi world my ass!" [OC, Spirit!AU, Very AU]

Warnings: Nothing noteworthy so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

(AN at the bottom.)

.

* * *

 **as the wild current sings, clarity over skies**

03:

" _Because there's change a-brewing on the breeze, and time waits for no one."_

[Solitude: 2/2]

* * *

.

Dragons are dangerous creatures.

 _Ryuu._

(Hushed whispers and hasty murmurings exchanged under the slips of thin boughs scattered around the brook-edge. But when the scant few moments have passed and the wind is still, they all fall silent. Wholly and completely silent, save for the late scattering of fire-leaves over the long twist of the water-bend.)

Dragons are dangerous creatures. Proud, and dangerous.

Or at least, that's what they say.

(Kiyo doesn't _eavesdrop._ Good heavens, no. Eavesdropping is rude, and Kiyo was raised with _manners._ But… but the soft chatter of flighty wind-spirits above the rippling stream is not something she cares enough to deliberately ignore. And they do bring interesting news to her from time to time, no matter how inadvertently.)

 _Spring-warm,_ one of the birdlike spirits sings, twisting out on an open wing and diving through the air. It brushes the river-splash at the long bend for the briefest of moments, before taking to the air again. _Flower, flourish, life breathed back into the black earth. Budding green, and the world blooms once more. Praise be, praise be._

 _Bow to spring dragon, tremble to the rumble of rock-slide, mountain-fall._

 _Praise be, praise be._

... Like forces of nature, Kiyo thinks, as the wind-current cloud of fleet-footed spirits leave with songs of dragons dancing on their tongues. They're like forces of nature, the dragons of this world.

(Quite literally, too.)

From another perspective, though, is that really so surprising? Dragons have always stood as symbols of power, even from the remnants of a culture that she carries in the farthest recesses of her mind. A culture from a different world, where the dragons of legends symbolized strength and dignity, wealth and good fortune. This not-Kishimoto spirit world seems to have taken the existence of dragons to an entirely different level, though.

 _Praise be, messenger of spring. Let the slumbering world re-awaken once more, let the soft rain return to the skies._

But not all dragon-songs the wind spirits sing are of praise.

When Kiyo sleeps with the Flow, she is aware of distantly hearing how spring dragons turning the earth, sowing seeds, nourishing life when the planting season comes. When she opens her eyes, she quietly listens to excited chatters of the arrival of autumn dragons watching over the harvest month, leaving in their wake luck and fortune and the prospect of a bountiful year.

But she also hears –sparsely, at certain times, and only ever in hushed snippets breaking off quickly for fear of being overheard– of _terror_. Of horror and despair, of plague and madness. Of dragons who are destructive to the core, who seek to tear the world asunder rather than protect it. Of single-minded monsters whose sole purpose is to spill blood. More and more and _more._

Yet, none of this matters to her.

 _Dragons._

They are… distant.

At the end of the day, none of this matters to Kiyo at all because dragons are only ever distant to her –they are creatures that she possesses some inkling of, some knowledge of, but she only ever hears of their tales and doings through faint whispers carried on the wind. She knows of dragons, knows that they exist, but dragons have nothing to do with her, not really.

Dragons mean nothing to her, only a vague concept she acknowledges and nothing more.

Apart from the local wildlife and the tribe of _kappa_ who have relocated to live in the surrounding forest in the south-western area of her river, there are no other living creatures that she knows to exist on her lands. So what does it matter to her, stories of faraway dragons over mountains and under seas?

.

* * *

.

(It matters a lot, apparently.

… In retrospect, that is.

…

… There's a reason why people say the things they do about hindsight…)

.

* * *

.

When the _kappa_ tribe moves in, settling down in the nearby forest right around the lower bend of the river under Ryouko's lead, Kiyo finds herself abruptly struck by a sense of…

Of…

…

… Well, there's not really any other word for it here.

 _Panic._

… Not panic as in _fear,_ terror, the singularly overwhelming desire to run and run and never look back. It's more the sort of panic that's born from _what the hell am I supposed to do now?!_

Ryouko had asked her for protection. Kiyo had agreed, without thinking too much on the request. But reflecting on that promise now…

She doesn't exactly _regret_ her words, but it would be nice to know what she's supposed to do now, because it's not like there's something like 'A Beginner's Guide to Kami-hood 101' out there that she can refer to or anything. Kiyo might be a river now, might be a river spirit and a minor kami of the land (or of the water, as the case may be…), but she's a half-assed one. A _real_ kami would know what their purpose is, what they're supposed to do, whether it be cleansing the land or the river or doing whatever their divine, inherent task may be–

Kiyo knows nothing.

Kiyo knows absolutely nothing about what she's supposed to do, let alone if she's even supposed to be doing anything at all. She hasn't been doing anything so far, really –aside from "sleeping," as she calls it.

(She closes her eyes and she is one with the Flow, and it's so easy to drift away as not part of the river, as she had initially thought it to be –but she is the very river _itself,_ twisting and undulating and ever constant-inconstant in equal turns. Because between being human and being _river,_ sometimes she thinks–)

 _We would ask sanctuary of you, kami-sama._

Sanctuary. What does 'sanctuary' even mean? Protection? How is she even supposed to go about this 'protection' business? What does she need to protect the _kappa_ from?

… Yeah, she probably shouldn't have agreed to Ryouko's request so easily, without even really knowing what was required on her part or what she was supposed to do.

But…

But if she hadn't… if the _kappa_ just turned and left, and she became all _alone, alone, so lonely only breathless silence that presses down on her down, down, down–_

No.

Even though she doesn't really know what she's meant to do… she wouldn't have refused. There's no way that she would've refused. It's laughable and pitiable in equal measure, _pathetic,_ even, but Kiyo knows better than to attempt to outright lie to herself when the truth is there to be seen.

… Some _kami_ she is turning out to be, not even knowing what she's supposed to do. Or if she can even do anything at all, really.

It's not like she can just waltz up to the _kappa_ and ask, though –what if they become nervous, unsettled at these strange inquiries? What if they get scared? What if they–

 _Leave?_

…

Kiyo doesn't ask. She's a coward, is what she is. Even though the _kappa_ largely keep to themselves and maintain a respectful distance from her after moving in by the river bend –Kiyo isn't blind. She's fully aware of the full-moon nights when they bring her small tokens and offerings under the pulsing light of ghost-fire lanterns. There are no overtures of _friendship,_ no _kappa_ that actively, purposefully seeks her out for company or conversation, not like what she overhears when they bicker between friends or laugh with family, but it's…

It's _something._ It's not the all-encompassing, _crippling_ loneliness that she was drowning in before, and so it helps.

… Haha, the thought of a river spirit _drowning_ in anything at all –that's a fine spot of irony all on its own, isn't it?

It's not exactly the relationship she wants –Kiyo doesn't know what she _wants,_ exactly, but she knows that it isn't something like what it is with the _kappa_ tribe, all the spirits living in a distant sort of awe and respect that is borderline-worship. Might actually _be_ worship, but Kiyo doesn't really like to think about it that way. Kiyo doesn't know what she wants, not precisely, but…

But…

…

… But she's scared. It's not perfect, it's not what she _wants,_ but Kiyo doesn't even know what she wants, and for now, this is enough. Kiyo doesn't want to do anything that might upset the tentative balance that she currently has with the _kappa_ tribe, doesn't want to come off as _weird_ and scare them away like she did Ryou so long ago… and so she doesn't.

Kiyo doesn't do anything.

She listens and watches, and does absolutely nothing at all.

She doesn't _need_ to do anything, either. And… and after awhile, she starts thinking differently.

She's not sure when it begins, or how it even happens, but the realization gradually comes to her, dawns upon her. It slowly seeps through all her thoughts and actions, through everything she senses and sees. She begins to become aware that–

 _She isn't needed._

 _The kappa don't need her._

(… So why are they even staying here? What's the point? Because there _is_ no point, no point at all–)

 _Family and friends and–_

– _Everything she doesn't have–_

– _Rubbing it in, always–_

 _Why are they even here?_

 _WHY ARE THEY EVEN HERE, TORTURING HER LIKE THIS?_

…

… _Does she really want them here? What's the point of having them here so close to her? It doesn't help, doesn't help anything at all, and she's still so–_

– _loNeLY–_

.

* * *

.

One day when Kiyo realizes the turn that her thoughts have taken –when she _realizes_ the dark, downward spiral she's started to take– 'terrified' is not enough to describe what she feels, and the panic she experiences is an entirely different sort of panic she'd felt when the _kappa_ tribe had first moved in.

She sleeps.

She stops watching and listening to the _kappa,_ stops feeling for their presence by the river, stops _obsessing_ over them–

Kiyo reaches out to the Flow again almost _desperately,_ and welcomes the sense of wholeness and collectiveness as a river that the broken shards of what remains human inside her will never know.

(It's not a mistake. She doesn't turn dark, her heart is not blighted, she doesn't go insane–

It's not a mistake, but it _is_.)

.

* * *

.

…

…

…

.

* * *

.

 _Kami-sama, kami-sama._

 _Thank you for granting us sanctuary here in your domain, kami-sama. Ma says that you're very kind. I believe that._

 _Thank you, kami-sama._

.

* * *

.

A voice. A passing voice. One that is bright and cheerful, the guileless merriment of a simple child.

…

… It will pass, like all the voices do. None of them ever mean anything, anyways.

(Kiyo melts back into the Flow, deeper and deeper and deeper still. The Flow is her, and she is the Flow. Nothing more, nothing less. There is no Kiyo –only the Flow. Nothing can hurt her when she is the Flow, but Kiyo is weak. For all that Kiyo is supposedly a _kami_ now, her human heart is weak and fragile.

She idly wonders what it would be like to be heartless.)

.

* * *

.

 _Kami-sama, kami-sama._

 _Thank you for watching over us like you always do, kami-sama._

 _Isn't the moon beautiful tonight, kami-sama? Hey, kami-sama, can you see the moon, too? If we're looking at the same moon –hehe, doesn't that mean I'm closer to kami-sama tonight?_

.

* * *

.

(The night sky is clear, and the full moon shines brightly.

Kiyo sleeps. She does not care for the moon. She _doesn't._ )

.

* * *

.

 _Kami-sama, kami-sama._

… _Lately, there's been more of us in the tribe falling sick. It's the winter season. Do you think some fire-root remedies would help?_

 _Please watch over us, kami-sama, and grant us your guidance._

.

* * *

.

(There are always _kappa_ getting sick in the winter. Humans get sick, too.

Kiyo isn't human anymore.

… But she's not really a god, either. She couldn't cure them even if she wanted to. She's just a river.

Kiyo doesn't bother trying.)

.

* * *

.

 _Kami-sama, kami-sama._

… _I'm scared. Kami-sama, it's not winter anymore, but the sickness isn't stopping. The elders are starting to send some of us away–_

 _Please help us, kami-sama._

.

* * *

.

(Kiyo is just a river. What can she possibly do?)

.

* * *

.

 _Kami-sama, kami-sama._

 _Ma… I just found out today that Ma's sick. She's been trying to hide it all this time, but she just collapsed today! Her face is so pale, and her scales don't shine anymore._

 _Please, kami-sama –if you can hear my voice, please,_ please–

.

* * *

.

(The sickness is rooted deeply in this one, gnarled dragon-like strands of sickness digging in deep and clinging tightly, tearing everything within its reach to pieces.

Kiyo remembers her. _Ryouko._ Ryouko, child of Ryou.

So she's sick now, too?

… Pity.)

.

* * *

.

 _Kami-sama._

 _Ma's dead._

.

* * *

.

(…

She's not surprised that the voice stops. All voices stop, eventually.

Kiyo tells herself that she doesn't feel anything about it. It's not a lie. It's _not._ )

.

* * *

.

There's a cold, vindictive part of her that wishes for them all to die.

(There. She openly admits it now. It makes her a bad person, doesn't it? … Not that she _cares,_ or anything–)

It makes her feel guilty, almost. A little disgusted with herself, too. But none of it stops what she's actually _feeling_ –doesn't stop that budding desire buried in the back of her mind that wants to kill them all. There's something inside her that wants to get rid of them, _permanently,_ because–

Because the presence of the _kappa_ in her forest haven't alleviated that sense of crippling loneliness in the least. It might've helped in the beginning, initially, but…

If anything, everything is all _worse_ now.

She can _see_ everything. She's aware of it all. She sees it when one _kappa_ hugs another, when a friend waves in greeting, when an elder chases down an unruly child for sneaking one chestnut too many from the tribe's winter stockpile. But in contrast as to when just being an observer in the beginning had been enough, now she is aware that she _wants_ _._

Kiyo is a greedy, greedy person. It's not enough for her to just see and observe. She wants it for herself, too.

… But there's no way she can become one of them.

She's just a river.

What do rivers care for loneliness?

So, she shouldn't be caring.

 _She shouldn't be caring._

… Why does she care?

Isn't she a river now? Hasn't she incarnated as a river spirit? Some days, Kiyo _hates_ –she oh so very bitterly _hates_ how she is still human, for all that she is supposed to be a river _kami_. If she's been reborn as a river _kami,_ why couldn't it have been complete? Why couldn't she have been born as a full-fledged river _kami_ as a proper river _kami_ should've been born as, instead of– instead of–

Instead of whatever the hell she is now.

(A _kami_ with the heart of a human. Heh, what a joke. There is a _reason_ why _kami_ are _kami_ and humans are humans. The two are not the same. They are entirely different entities, born with different minds, created for different purposes.)

…

The sickness that spreads through the tribe… it is not of her doing.

Kiyo sleeps. She sleeps, because the part of herself that has not gone stone dead and dead cold recoils instinctively at the thought of killing because she _wants_ to kill. She sleeps as part of the Flow, and desperately tries to blot out the world around her. She tries to forget everything, to pretend that nothing has changed.

But it's not the same anymore.

It's _not._

The _kappa._ The _kappa_ are living here now, have made their lives here, because she's so _selfish_ and _stupid_ –

She doesn't need anyone to die for her own selfishness.

The voice of the young _kappa_ that she hears, the grandson of Ryou, son of Ryouko… he is not the exact _reason_ why she awakens. He plays a small role, a minor factor, perhaps a turning point, a catalyst…

But he is not the reason.

No, he is not the reason.

If it's only the _kappa_ tribe at stake, Kiyo wouldn't awaken from her sleep. Not for them.

(It's cold and heartless, but it's the truth.

…

… But if she were truly heartless, she would not have done what she did after awakening the way she had.)

.

* * *

.

The unnatural sickness plaguing the _kappa_ tribe is not what eventually, ultimately awakens Kiyo from her deep slumber within the flow. Her mixed feelings, inner turmoil towards the tribe of _kappa_ that she has taken in aside, there is another very practical, very good reason as to why she awakens.

The dragon-sickness spreads to the riverbed.

And Kiyo _wakes up._

.

* * *

.

…

.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Third chapter complete, apologies for the delay. Mostly preoccupied with schoolwork these days, so I can't guarantee when the next update will be. Thank you to everyone expressing support and interest in the concept for this story thus far. :D I will do my best.

Kind of caught a cold lately, so I've been typing this chapter with a runny nose. Many tissues were sacrificed in the name of completing this chapter. I will be coming back and editing everything again later when I feel better/when I have time.

Second round of midterms coming up soon, so I will most likely be disappearing for awhile already. I'll try my best not to, though.

I'M SO SORRY THAT HAKU/ZABUZA DIDN'T APPEAR IN THIS CHAPTER. Missed the estimate. DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY EXPECT TO SEE THEM IN THE NEXT UPDATE. THERE'S NO WAY THEY WON'T BE APPEARING THEN. :'D

Also, in regards to the story… I didn't actually mean for Ryouko to die so quickly. Come to think of it, Ryou died pretty quickly, too. Each of them basically only lived for one chapter… I promise that Tai here is going to live longer, though! If that means anything to anyone reading this here. xD

* * *

 **QUESTION:** Still open to new ideas for the story right now. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

 **QUESTION:** What do you think about the concept of humans-becoming-gods in this fic? Like, just the possibility of it or what implications it might have? :3 Or… humans-becoming-demons?

* * *

Till next time,

XxZuiliu


	4. of anger and of dragons

.

Title: as the wild current sings, clarity over skies

Rating: T

Summary: Nagase Kiyo. Former college student, part-time dish-washer; also the very unfortunate victim of a very fatal traffic accident. Currently the resident river kami of a small stream in the middle of nowhere. Or rather, as it turns out… "Damn you, Kishimoto. Shinobi world my ass!" [OC, Spirit!AU, Very AU]

Warnings: Nothing noteworthy so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

(AN at the bottom.)

.

* * *

 **as the wild current sings, clarity over skies**

04:

" _You're never too old to throw a temper tantrum."_

[The Two Dragons: 1/4]

* * *

.

Anger is not an emotion that Kiyo is very well acquainted with. Loneliness, yes. Disappointment, yes. Frustration, yes.

But not _anger,_ of all things.

Not this sort of indignant, righteous anger that blazes through her chest at this very moment. Not this mindless sort of anger that ignites so suddenly and so swiftly, without so much as a preemptive sign or warning beforehand. It would not be inaccurate to say that this rush of anger takes her completely off-guard –indeed, for a single moment abject confusion at where her anger is coming from nearly outweighs the anger itself. But more than an inferno of rage and fury, the anger is… _cold,_ in a way that is perhaps only fitting for a river.

(The anger twists and turns madly inside her, blooming bright and furious in the empty core of her being where a human heart used to be.)

Kiyo doesn't actually register _why_ she is angry until she bursts forth from the riverbed, until she blinks and finds herself in the skies, floating airborne above the river with nothing but the deafening roar of river water cascading down around her like thunderous sheets of icy rain. In all honesty, Kiyo isn't exactly the short-tempered type of girl –it simply isn't in her nature to be prone to spontaneous bouts of irrational anger out of nowhere.

It is, however, the nature of a _kami_ to become angry when it perceives that an offense has been committed against it.

And for all that Kiyo is not a _kami_ the way _kami_ of nature inherently are when they come into being, for all that Kiyo is a thoroughly unnatural once-human now- _kami_ creature, it does not change the fact that she _is_ a _kami._ Kiyo is the _kami_ of the _Byakure-gawa,_ the river god of the forest, and no matter how weak, how insignificant her power might be… she is still a god.

She is still a god.

(The girl may be prone to considering herself human in mind if not in body, but _she is a god,_ and something – _something–_ has deliberately provoked the rage of the part of her that is very much inhuman.

The sickness. The twisted-root sickness that had infected the _kappa_ tribe.

The sickness that now extends its reach to the river, too.)

… Kiyo is not well-learned in the ways of medicinal herbs or herbal remedies. To be perfectly honest, there is not much that she understands about medicine, period. Her apathy and conflicted feelings towards the _kappa_ tribe aside, there is another very good reason why Kiyo did not bother reaching out a helping hand, and that is because _she does not know how to help_ at all in first place, which makes any sentiments of sympathy a moot point.

She is a river. A _river._ How can one possibly expect a _river_ to somehow be capable of curing sickness?

Except, this…

 _This…_

It's not a sickness.

…

… Okay, well, not _entirely._ It's a sickness. In some ways, it's undoubtedly a sickness. It's a sickness in the sense that it causes fevers, that it weakens the body, _destroys_ the body bit by bit until death is the only reprieve there is from the pain it inflicts upon the host –but at the same time _it's not a sickness,_ not a sickness at all because there's–

Because there's a source.

Because there's a distinct _source_ to this sickness.

There is a veritable source to this sickness –a source that _absorbs_ the life-energy that the sickness takes from infected hosts. The life-energy _isn't_ torn to pieces by the gnarled strands of sickness that spread and spread and _spread._ It's torn to pieces and _gathered,_ but that's not exactly the most accurate term to be using because more than just _gathering,_ it's–

 _Harvesting._

Something was _harvesting_ the life-energy from the forest.

This… this isn't just a sickness that had struck the _kappa_ tribe, because now that it reaches out for the river, now that Kiyo takes hold of it and _looks_ into the depths of its twisted core, she can see that the gnarled strands of sickness aren't just restricted to feeding on the _kappa_ anymore. Not anymore. They're beginning to spread and take root _everywhere_ in the forest, greedily sucking energy from every crack and crevice, and–

And Kiyo has had quite _enough_ of this mess.

(The _kami_ inside her has, at least.)

It's mostly the rush from the rage of the river _kami_ driving her next actions, in retrospect. Because in the aftermath of it all, Kiyo herself can't quite explain _how_ she accomplished what she did. But in the moment that the pieces click together for her, that she realizes that _something is stealing the life-energy from her river's forest with this so-called 'sickness,'_ that this very same something is attempting to steal the river's energy as well…

 _I will not stand for this,_ she thinks, and the _kami_ of the _Byakure-gawa_ rises from the tumultuous waters.

She reaches out a single hand from where she floats above the river. There is nothing but the emptiness of thin air in front of her as she does so –but when she clenches and her fingers close into a fist directly in front of her chest, when she grabs and _pulls_ with the Flow of the river singing about her, the gnarled purple-black roots of the sickness appears. Snarling wildly and snapping viciously at her fingertips, twisting madly to turn and bite into her in order to eat her, too, just as it ate the _kappa_ of the forest–

For all the rage she feels, Kiyo somehow still finds it in herself to smile blandly at the heart of the web of sickness cast about her forest, the threadlike mess of a knot that is the heart she holds in her hands.

(It's a cold, cold smile.)

"Get out," she says softly, voice the color of burning hoarfrost. Her words come out in a high, bell-like ring, the childish tone of a young child. But despite the soft tenor that the words are delivered, the purple-black strands promptly tremble and _shatter_ in the palm of her hand, and with the destruction of the heart, so do the other strands of sickness scattered throughout the forest begin dissipating–

Yet the river-drown rage is still coiled like a poisonous viper in her chest, and the _kami_ in Kiyo knows that she is not yet done. Not quite.

And so she _twists,_ flowing like the river-water she is as she follows the unraveling strands as they recede from the forest, slipping over stones and under trees and through grass lighter than the wind-spirits shivering uneasily in the twining branches of the tree-tops. She is vaguely aware of the addition of more spirits-creatures in her forest, aside from the _kappa_ tribe, as she uproots the sickness that has infringed upon her lands for far too long, but she pays no heed to it. Tunnel vision, of sorts –there is only one task that Kiyo is focused on right now, and her enraged state of mind is more _kami_ than human at the moment to stop and pay attention to other things.

" _It's gone, it's gone, finally gone, good heavens–"_

" _Shhh, enough silly chatter, don't you see–"_

" _The river! Ma, the river, look–"_

" _Hush, child, bow and show proper respect–"_

" _I almost thought it was an empty myth the kappa tribe so stubbornly insisted on–"_

" _Shhh!"_

" _Kami-sama, kami-sama…"_

Kiyo absently notes all the whispers following in her wake in a distant corner of her mind without really processing any of the words at all, only following the unraveling strands of sickness to their source with a single-minded intensity. It won't be long now. She is almost there–

And it's the all-too-familiar tug of _stop,_ of _limit_ and _boundary_ that finally snaps Kiyo out of the narrow focus of rage that belongs to the offended _kami_ side of her nature. She's close. She's close to nearing her limits. She is a _river,_ and a river is bound to the land.

… But it's enough. It seems that there is no need for her to go any farther, anyways.

Kiyo alights at the border of the forest edge, a side to the north that is nestled under a cliff face. Any further, and she would not have been able to follow, but this… this, she can do.

It's enough. It would have to be enough.

"So _you're_ the one who just _…_ I'll admit, I did not believe the _kappa's_ tales like most, little _kami."_

Even through a haze of rage, it had taken some measure of effort on Kiyo's part to tear out the sickness that had crept into her lands. It's not as if she has any comparisons or references to match this against, but she did not honestly expect the perpetrator behind the sickness ravaging the forest to be a _dragon._

(Dragon, _ryuu._

A force of nature all on its own.)

Fuck.

.

* * *

.

Gray-frost scales, eyes as black as night.

The dragon is large, nearly as thick as five trunks of the oldest trees in the forest twisted together and more than five times as long –it is not at all inaccurate to say that this dragon is _huge,_ but it is not the sheer size of the scarred dragon that is most striking in Kiyo's eyes. More than its towering height, more than the fact that Kiyo herself is barely as tall as a single talon on the dragon, it is the _aura_ surrounding the serpentine dragon that catches her attention.

Kiyo has heard the rumors before. Of spring dragons, radiating warmth and _life_ and as steady as the deep earth where it slumbers until the flowering season comes. Of autumn dragons, brisk and chill but bright and lively in a playful way that is not at all unlike the frolicking antics of younglings stretching their wings for the first time.

The dragon before her is… harsh, cutting.

Jagged edges, rough and uneven.

Brittle, too –and something about the entire image makes Kiyo thinks of _weakness,_ of heavily-injured-but-needing-to-recover. Which would very well explain why the dragon-sickness had infested her forest, but also explains nothing at all.

(Because _dragons,_ this is a fucking dragon–

Old scars and injuries, experienced in battle–

Dragons are creatures of strength, of–

Why not by force? _Why not by force?_ Why not dive in and _slaughter_ to take the energy for recovery that it needs, instead of harvesting the energy through that web of dragon-sickness?

It doesn't make sense. It doesn't make _sense._

Why?)

" _Kami-sama!"_

Kiyo blinks at the sudden addition of another voice, aside from the dragon's. It is… unexpected, to see some of the _kappa_ present here as well, so focused had she been on tracing back the source of the gnarled sickness. When had the _kappa_ made their way here?

… And the river-rage of an offended _kami_ is beginning to fade, too, what with this sudden interruption from the _kappa_ blindsiding her. It's. Well. On one hand she appreciates it, because the cold authority of a _kami_ is very much inhuman, even going by Kiyo's currently rather warped sense of humanity, but on the other hand…

As a _kami,_ even gripped by rage, everything had been clear in her mind –blindingly crystal clear. With that mindset beginning to ebb and fade away now that the immediate threat that the sickness posed to her lands had been quite literally uprooted, her anger as a _kami_ is beginning to subside, and…

And Kiyo isn't quite sure what to do anymore, to be honest. Should she try to kill the dragon for its affront to her? The thought of killing something doesn't repulse her like it should, but something about the concept of deliberately killing something simply because it made her upset… it's not quite the same as that impulse that had once flashed through her mind regarding the resident _kappa_ tribe, but, well.

… Yeah, she can be a bit of a hypocrite at times.

Still, this isn't the best of times to be getting lost in her thoughts. There's still a wary dragon coiled on the ground in front of her, and several wide-eyed _kappa_ kneeling in reverence, and she can all but _feel_ the gazes of the other creatures inhabiting her forest–

(Speaking of which… _when,_ exactly, did so many creatures decide to move in on her lands? She only remembered being explicitly approached by the _kappa,_ everything else was–

Wait, no, stop getting distracted.)

One thing at a time, one thing at a time. Take care of the dangerous dragon growling at you first, sort out everything else later.

Okay.

Okay.

 _Okay._

Deep breaths, in and out. She can do this.

The dragon bares its fangs at her, a leering, menacing grin that all but visibly radiates bloodlust into the restless air. "… You may have finally managed to remove the plague roots from your domain, but you are _weak,_ dear little _kami-sama._ You cannot stop me from devouring this forest, and I will drain your river dry."

 _Oh my god what is this what is it saying why in the world would a dragon just–_

 _Creature of war, blood and bone and tearing flesh and–_

 _And it knows kill kill kill and it wants to kill the kappa kill the forest kill_ me _I can't just–_

White-hot panic blooms and pulses bright and sharp in her veins at this candid matter-of-fact _threat,_ beating loudly to the staccato drumming beat of _fear_ in her chest, because the dragon, what it _said_ … it's not a lie. The dragon isn't lying. There's no need for it to lie to a lowly little river _kami._

Kiyo may not know why the dragon decided to show up here the way it did, why it decided to implant that sickness in her lands to harvest life-energy, but the very fact that it did so, that it acted with deliberate, malicious intent against the forest, against her–

This dragon is one that destroys, that _kills._

It kills and kills and _kills,_ and will never stop killing until there is nothing left.

(… And how does she know that, exactly?)

The _kappa_ are trembling again now. Small wonder, given the dragon's declaration of its intent, and what it means for them. What it means for _all_ of them. She can see the looks in their eyes as their gazes turn towards her, the inhabitants of her forest fearful and trembling but nonetheless cautiously, hoping-against-hope hopeful and–

And what can she do?

 _What can she do?_

She's just a river.

… But if she doesn't do anything, she won't even be just a river anymore. She'll be _dead._ Time doesn't touch _kami_ with the brush of death the way it does humans, but this doesn't mean that _kami_ are everlasting, that they are somehow truly impervious and immortal the way humans think of gods.

Kiyo doesn't want that.

(Or at least, that's how she rationalizes it all to herself. That's all there is to it, isn't it? That's all there is to it.)

" _Devour the forest, you say? Drain the river dry?"_ Kiyo repeats the dragon's words softly, almost as if she's talking to herself as she tastes the words by carefully repeating them on her tongue.

And then she laughs.

The dragon's eyes narrow at this, but she pays no heed to it.

"I have heard the wind-tales, dragon," she says in the manner of morning sun-drops atop dewy leaves, slow and deliberate. "I have heard the wind-singing tales of dragons, with spear-like claws and adamantine scales, of strength that can topple mountains and tear the skies asunder. A single flick of your tail, and hurricanes will scream and howl at your behest. A simple stomp of your feet, and the very earth itself shivers and trembles in fear."

The dragon coils restlessly, and Kiyo _smiles._

"But what is it that I see before me here? You are not one of the dragons in these wind-tales."

A roar.

The dragon _roars,_ and it's a singularly overwhelming roar that makes her head spin, that shakes the world to its core in wordless fury. An inhuman, beastly howl that is pride and rage as the dragon curls and _twists,_ a streak of black in the air as it suddenly leaps to the sky, its jaws open and–

And Kiyo immediately reaches for the _Flow,_ for the ever-present flow of the river current that surrounds her even now as she floats in the air, and tugs it about the enraged dragon. She's pretty sure in some distant corner of her mind that she's still panicking, certainly, but there's also an almost _eerie_ sort of crystal-clarity in her mind, cold as frost and clear as ice. There's a reason why she's risking this, why she's antagonizing the dragon to hopefully entice it into making some sort of mistake she can take advantage of.

Ever before risking the dragon's rage, it was clear that there was no way the dragon was peacefully backing down. Its brazen, dismissive attitude towards her implied it. Its earlier actions against the forest ensured it.

" _You think something like this can stop me?"_ the dragon roars, thunder rolling in its chest and shaking the forest below. _"I may be injured, little kami, but do not think that something as low as you can subjugate me. For I am the Man-Eater, the Kin-Slayer, the Demon of the West! What are you, oh nameless little river god, to stand against me?"_

Nothing, she thinks. She's nothing. Nothing but a once-human now-river not-quite god. But that's none of anyone else's business.

"So what? Doesn't mean I should just roll over and die," she mutters even as trepidation rises in her chest, readying the shimmering thrum of the _Flow_ that is a light blue haze enshrouding her body and–

And–

 **Well said, little river.**

–and the dragon stops.

The dragon stops.

The dragon _stops._

… Or rather, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the dragon _is_ stopped. It's almost as if something suddenly reached out and gripped the dragon in its fist, because it's still snarling and thrashing and–

And Kiyo blinks, because there is suddenly a young man standing in front of her out of nowhere, which doesn't make any sense, even if it seems perfectly _natural,_ somehow. As natural as if he'd always been there from the very beginning, which… which _couldn't_ be right, because–

"Sorry for the fright," the young man smiles at her, and it's as if a thousand summertime flowers have burst into bloom. Golden eyes glimmer and shine, and _something_ about him radiates steadiness and immovability, strength that does not unfurl outwards but instead gathers at its core.

(A mountain, she thinks vaguely, but she is not quite sure how it comes to mind.)

Kiyo eyes the charming young man warily.

"I apologize for the trouble. Hold on just a moment while I take care of them, please," the young man says apologetically, then turns again to face the dragon trapped in the air.

And suddenly, there is nothing warm or summery at all about the young man anymore.

 **I am the Guardian of the Flowering Mountain, He Who Dwells Upon the Cloudburst, the Watcher of the Borderland. I am the Heart of the mountain from which this river springs forth and flows.**

 **You, dragon.**

 **Man-Eater. Kin-Slayer. The Bloody Demon of the Waters West.**

 **You should not be here.**

 **You are not welcome on these lands.**

The words are imbued with a heavy weight, something that makes the _kappa_ and the other creatures of the forest slowly sink to their knees respectfully, reverently. Kiyo herself does not feel the same weight of superiority demanding obedience from her the same way they do, but she nonetheless senses the mantle of authority woven into the golden-eyed young man's words. There is an indescribable aura about him, the ease and confidence with which he wields his power as is his natural right in the order of this world.

Perhaps it is. Kiyo certainly wouldn't know.

 **I know of you, and what you have done. Of the blood you have spilled, and the destruction you have wrought. What you desire, and what you leave in your wake.**

 **In your bid for glory, you have found shame.**

 **In your lust for power, you have lost strength.**

 **In your hatred for weakness, you have abandoned honor.**

 **How contemptible.**

" _Shut up,"_ the dragon hisses, thrashing in its invisible prison hanging in the sky. The young man's intervention has flipped the tables in this altercation, but it is evident that the dragon, trapped as it is, refuses to go down without a fight. _"You understand_ nothing, _ignorant kami._ You are just as blind and bigoted as the rest of your kind, resting on your laurels in your cloud-spun palaces while the rest of us suffer. _"_

The young man smiles coldly.

 **I understand more than you think. And I understand enough.**

 **Man-Eater.**

 **Kin-slayer.**

 **Demon.**

 _ **Zabuza.**_

 **Tell me, where is the little one you have stolen away from your kin born of ice?**

.

* * *

.

…

.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Fourth chapter complete. Sorry for long delay in updates –had an extremely busy fall semester last year, and spring semester is shaping up to be even crazier.

Thank you very much to everyone who's been supporting this story in the meantime. I will do my best to live up to your support and keep on writing!

( In case anyone is wondering why I've suddenly dropped off the face of the planet, the lack of updates is because I decided to change my major last semester, so I had to start taking the prerequisite classes for that, which… ended up being very, very time-consuming. Unfortunately I was on the borderline and ended up with a lower grade than required for the major, too, so a result, I'll need an A/A- in one of the prerequisite classes this semester, or a B+ at the very least to make the minimum gpa requirement.

… That's enough about college woes on my end, though.)

Zabuza finally appears in this chapter! As a dragon, yes. Some people probably already guessed that anyways (I don't think I was exactly very discreet about it?) so voila! :3 Haku should be in the next chapter.

* * *

 **QUESTION:** Still open to new ideas for the story! If you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see in a spirit!AU of the Naruto-verse, please feel free to drop a note and I'll see what I can do about it. Everything is still rather experimental and very much not set in stone at this point anyways.

 **QUESTION:** Thoughts on dragon!Zabuza and how he acted? I dunno, I kinda imagined dragons being all proud and formal-speak, which isn't very Zabuza-like, but I tried going for a slight mix of that while kinda keeping the attitude. Dunno if I liked how this worked out.

* * *

Till next time,

XxZuiliu


	5. of observing and of mountains

.

Title: as the wild current sings, clarity over skies

Rating: T

Summary: Nagase Kiyo. Former college student, part-time dish-washer; also the very unfortunate victim of a very fatal traffic accident. Currently the resident river kami of a small stream in the middle of nowhere. Or rather, as it turns out… "Damn you, Kishimoto. Shinobi world my ass!" [OC, Spirit!AU, Very AU]

Warnings: Nothing noteworthy so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

(AN at the bottom.)

.

* * *

 **as the wild current sings, clarity over skies**

05:

" _Bearing witness to the power of a god."_

[The Two Dragons: 2/4]

* * *

.

If Kiyo is to be perfectly honest with herself, the golden-eyed mountain god's arrival on the scene could not have arrived at a better time. For all that she is one with the Flow of the river, for all that the water flows in her body and sings in her veins, in the end she is essentially only just that: A _river,_ and what can a small little river ever hope to do against a creature of myths and legends, against a _dragon?_

Divine intervention, she thinks, and it's a wry thought whose note of irony is not lost on her. The girl-god shoves it to the back of her mind in favor of refocusing on the rather volatile situation at hand.

 _Man-Eater, Kin-Slayer, the Bloody Demon of the Waters West._

… Zabuza?

The name faintly tickles a familiar bell somewhere in the back of her head, though she's not _quite_ sure what it means, or how it is important…

 _Ninja world my ass, Kishimoto._

(… Yeah, it's not the first time _that_ particular thought has crossed her mind… and quite sadly, she doubts it'll be the last, either. Fuck.)

A small undercurrent of frustration. Kiyo promptly snatches it and shoves that particular emotion to the side, too.

The scarred dragon –Zabuza– lets out a low hiss, a rumbling, guttural sound that is nothing if not base and feral in all its primitive glory. Yet for all the jagged ferocity and blatant aggression etched in every edge of its countenance, the dragon makes no further move to attack the new arrival, the golden-eyed deity, which…

…

… Well, she can take a guess as to why the dragon isn't making any further moves at this point. It might not be entirely accurate, but… Kiyo thinks that perhaps it's the sheer weight of the mountain god's aura holding the dragon at bay, the invisible pressure that commands respect and beckons obedience, the dominion of a greater existence over a lesser one. It is, after all, the _authority of a god,_ something that Kiyo thinks she might understand, vaguely –a concept she understands intellectually, of course, but cannot quite _grasp_ –

It's not an _attack,_ not really. Her fellow deity isn't doing anything, isn't making any move.

It's more of a _presence_ than anything else, really, this authority.

(Intangible, yes, but that does not mean it's not _there,_ that it cannot be _felt_.)

Kiyo understands what it is, sort of, and she is also pointedly aware of her own lack of it, this authority, this presence, this _assurance._ This proper establishment of _dominion,_ if she has to be crude about it. Kiyo is a pseudo- _kami,_ cannot bring herself to think of her status and her powers as a _kami_ as something that is her _right,_ and so she lacks this commanding aura.

She sees more than feels when the authority of the mountain god presses down on the air around them, this stifling sensation that Kiyo herself is exempt to only by virtue of her current status as a _kami_ and absolutely nothing else. The command for deference has all the other creatures of her forest kneeling in reverence –save for the reckless dragon.

Zabuza

(And what else can this dangerous creature be, if not reckless? What creature wouldn't bow before a true god?)

The golden-eyed god lets out a soft sigh over the heavy stillness, finally breaking the silence of the tense standoff.

 **You are dangerous, Zabuza.**

 **Regardless of your reasons, your circumstances… it is fact that you have left nothing but a trail of blood and hatred in your wake. I may not be able to kill you, not while you are still recognized as one of the Seven… but this is not something I can overlook.**

The dragon sneers. _"Save me your grand gestures, kami-sama."_

 _Kami-sama._ Coming from any other creature, it would be a title spoken with respect, reverence. Perhaps even accompanied by a low kowtow to the ground, prostrating oneself at the feet of a god. Yet there is something almost mocking to the way the words slip from the dragon's tongue, and it automatically makes Kiyo frown a little, upon hearing the flippancy and biting anger that the dragon does not even bother trying to conceal.

(She's not frowning because of _disrespect,_ good heavens, _no,_ but… but it makes her wonder.

What has this dragon experienced, that would give birth to hatred against gods?)

Her fellow _kami_ simply smiles.

 **Ah.**

 **Then, as you wish.**

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* * *

.

So here's the thing–

Kiyo is a _kami,_ but she is also not. This means that, while there is part of her that is instinctively _kami-_ Kiyo now and guides along her actions as such, there is also another significant portion of her that is undeniably human-Kiyo still, which means that she often experiences fumbling moments of pure ' _what the fuck.'_ Not as often as she had in the beginning of her arrival in this world as a river spirit, of course, but neither have they disappeared entirely. She rather doubts that they ever will, at this rate.

(It's why she sleeps, why she had slept so much. This whole being-a-spirit-god thing is much easier to deal with by not dealing with anything at all, no matter the loneliness that she experiences by doing so. And what does it all even matter in the end, anyways?)

So:

What the fuck.

 _What the fuck._

Kiyo is very much aware of her current status as a river _kami,_ a god. It's not quite only on just a conscious, intellectual level anymore. Some days she looks at her river-body and feels the bordering forest and _knows_ the water and the land, on a level so close and so intimate that she cannot even imagine having existed as something otherwise before, as something so small and insignificant and _incomplete_ as fleeting humans are. Other days, however, she is sharply struck by the _wrongness_ of it all, this kind of existence, because even before being a river god she is _Kiyo,_ and for all that Kiyo is currently a river god, she was once human.

(No, that's not quite the right way to be saying it–)

Kiyo was _originally_ human.

(Yes, that sounds much better.)

Human.

The point of all of this being: Even though Kiyo is a god in this world, the _kami_ of a river _,_ she is also human. This means that despite having the power of a god at her fingertips, the strength of a deity running through her veins and melded into the ever-present Flow that surrounds her, she is only vaguely _aware_ that she holds some measure of power as a _kami_ and no real sense of what it actually does or how to intentionally use it… aside from relying on her flakey _kami-_ instinct.

(… Alright, so that's maybe exaggerating things a little, calling it _flakey_. Still pretty much true, for the most part.)

If Kiyo has to put a name to herself other than _fake-kami,_ she would call herself an _incomplete-kami,_ because she is a _kami_ who has no idea what the fuck she's even doing a good ninety-five percent of the time. Who has no idea what to even start doing, nor how to go about doing so. There is no real purpose to her power, nor any way for her to properly channel it, and she has never been so painfully _aware_ of that fact until today.

Until now.

Until the golden-eyed mountain god reaches out a single hand as easily as breathing, his motions distorting the space around him as his power sharpens and _focuses_ –there's something inside her that reacts to it, to seeing this demonstration of power. This demonstration of what a _kami_ is capable of, of what a _kami_ is meant to do.

Mostly, though…

Mostly, this is the only thought that is running through the forefront of her mind:

 _What the fuck._

… This is a world of spirits and demons and mythological creatures, she thinks. Kiyo, girl, _you've turned into a fucking river yourself._ Is there _really_ anything else crazy enough in this world to be losing your shit over?

…

… Yes. Yes there is.

 _Of course there is._

A mountain.

A fucking _mountain._

Here's the thing:

She just witnessed the golden-eyed god make a twisting motion with his hand in the air and then _drop a fucking mountain on the angry dragon out of absolutely nowhere what is this what the actual fuck._

A _mountain,_ what the hell.

What the hell.

… Even now, tremors still run through the currently-shifting lines of the earth. She can hear it from a corner of her blank-shocked mind, the panicked voices of the spirit-creatures living within her forest. The mountain god –and there is no doubt in her now that the golden-eyed _kami_ is a mountain god, for what else can explain _this,_ this, this _pulling an entire mountain out of thin air and fucking_ dropping _it what the fuck_ – turns. The mountain god turns, his other hand reaching out and grasping at the warped space around him. Almost immediately, another tall, jagged spire of the black earth begins to materialize in the air, hovering above the first mountain is already cracked and shaking, revealing the enraged form of the night-scale dragon buried underneath.

She's probably not exactly in the right mindset to truly comprehend the _magnitude_ of what's happening at the moment. Because, this? This is literal _crafting_ and intentional _manipulation_ of the very landscape itself, of calling upon the power of the earth to rise according to one's own will to subjugate a dragon. Deafening draconic roars pierce thunderously into the high heavens as the earth shakes and groans from the dragon's fierce struggles.

It's almost a scene that belongs to the end of the world, this image of a mighty dragon thrashing wildly with all its strength to shake off its mountain prison and the golden-eyed _kami_ standing above in the dust-filled sky, ruthlessly crushing it again and again beneath tall spires of jagged earth and cracked stone.

 _Vicious,_ in a single word.

 _Merciless,_ in another.

Kiyo can only shiver at the sheer amount of power that is being haphazardly thrown around. Injured as he currently might be, Zabuza nonetheless is a _dragon,_ and every coil and twist of his titanic, serpentine body as he fights against the golden-eyed god is an _earthquake,_ ground-shaking and sky-splitting in its magnitude.

(… The forest isn't going to be standing anymore after this, is it.)

Kiyo raises a small hand to shield her eyes when a particularly sharp thrash of the dragon's body makes the earth's quakes felt even through the _sky._

A thunderous roar of defiance, a violent convulsion of black-gray diamond scales splitting the ground of the earth, carving a jagged canyon gaping wide and deep. Yet the act of complete destruction does nothing, _nothing_ to prevent the golden-eyed _kami_ from twisting, _pulling_ at the earth to create more and more of the dragon's prison.

… For all that his movements seem nothing if not smooth and effortless, there is a furrowed look of concentration on the mountain god's face that belies all signs suggesting otherwise. Kiyo herself doesn't know much about gauging the power of _kami,_ but she's guessing that if the dragon, Zabuza, hadn't been injured as much as he seemed to be… the mountain god might not be capable of holding such a firm upper hand over the course of their battle. It might help to explain some of the sheer _rage_ overflowing from the destructive creature, though it's all really a moot point by now, when the outcome of the battle is becoming clear.

… Although, honestly speaking… it's not so much _battle_ at this point anymore as it is indiscriminate, full-scale destruction of the entire landscape. And with each spire of rock that the mountain god hurls down from the sky, the struggles begin lessen, slowly but surely–

 _Surely–_

 **I may not be strong enough to kill you, Zabuza. But I can seal you away from the world so you will no longer be able to sow seeds of senseless havoc and slaughter in your wake.**

 **With this power of mine, born of the Flowering Mountain and the Borderlands, I shall seal you.**

 **Upon mine name…**

…

… **Thus, I command the earth unto my will.**

Another pillar of earth comes crashing down, imbued with the potent energy of a god as all the others had been, a thundering finality in the earth-shaking rumble that does not quite cover up the sounds of a dragon's roars. And yet, the mountain –oh, it is _undoubtedly_ a fucking _colossal_ mountain now, both in terms of sheer size and in overwhelming scale, if a _wee_ bit misshapen in shape– stands firm.

Still, the dragon does not seem to have given up, letting out a harsh laugh that is fierce and mocking.

"Seal me? _In your dreams!_ A lesser _kami_ like you, only a mere Watcher, not even of the Lower Courts–!"

None of the words really mean anything to Kiyo, of course. But somehow, the very mention of the _Lower Courts…_ it makes something inside her tremble, briefly, and even makes the golden-eyed _kami_ next to her pause. It is an unmistakable reaction that is subtle and easily overlooked, but not one that can be brushed off as mere coincidence–

… **Perhaps, it would be as you say.**

The mountain god gives a small nod to the dragon's taunting words, before his eyes sharpen with something firm and unyielding, bright and burning.

Tall, immovable, the strength that is embodied by the very essence of a mountain.

 **Had you not suffered such severe injuries… perhaps the most I could've done would only be driving you away from these lands, and nothing more.**

 **Yet.**

 **As you currently are, do you think you can resist my sealing?**

 _ **Zabuza.**_

…

"STOP!"

.

* * *

.

The incoming dragon is small, young.

That much is evident from the first glance, at the very least. Not only just from comparing its diminutive size against Zabuza's hulking figure, but also in terms of its demeanor –the panicked way that the small silver dragon hurtles through the air without a single thought nor care for its own wellbeing straight towards the mountain; what fool would run straight into the path of a god, a _kami_ about to deliver punishment?

… A panicked fool, certainly.

Although, it is an entirely different sort of panic from what one would normally expect.

Panic, fear.

Not for itself, no, but instead fear for _Zabuza,_ instead of itself, and isn't that interesting?

… _Would this be the 'little one born of ice?'_

Strange, she thinks. How strange. From the way the mountain god had spoken of it earlier, it sounded as if Zabuza had gone and _kidnapped_ the 'little one born of ice,' but from the looks of things here… judging by the way this youngling _rushed_ to Zabuza's side without so much as a second thought, as soon as it arrived upon the scene…

 **Haku.**

 **Born of ice, twice-blessed of Wind and Water.**

"Stop this!" There is no mistaking the panicked light in the young dragon's eyes as it circles the mountain, worry marring its clear, bell-like tone. "Please, stop! Zabuza-sama–"

" _Haku. Leave."_

The younger dragon freezes at the gravelly sound of the older one's voice, audible even though the heavy layers of rock and stone imbued with the unshakable strength of a mountain god.

" _Zabuza-sama!"_

" _Leave!"_ The older dragon roars, "If one of us falls, the other must live! He cannot kill me, cannot trap me forever–"

Zabuza's words are cut off in a wet choke, a curse of pain. The younger dragon gives a responding cry of anger, despair. Kiyo senses more than actually sees the spikes of jagged stone that impale the fierce dragon, pinning it down, and _leeching_ the life-blood of the dragon to return vitality to the earth to restore the damage that had been wrought in its capture. Not enough to be life-threatening, certainly, but…

 _More than enough to make sure that the dragon will not recover._

"Zabuza-sama! Please, let me–"

" _LEAVE!"_

…

Suddenly, Kiyo is inexplicably reminded of her _kappa._

She remembers her mixed emotions towards seeing them, of observing the bonds between friends and siblings and families and lovers and all manners of relations in-between. She remembers simple things, like watching the _kappa_ gather plants and herbs together, or even just sitting down and counting the stars together. She remembers–

 _Please don't leave me please you can't–_

 _Don't die don't die I'll do anything,_ anything–

 _Hold on just a little while longer kami-sama kami-sama please_ please _–_

She remembers the first stirrings of something that might've been sympathy. Compassion. She also remembers _jealousy,_ black and ugly, she remembers the hatred and festering of _blight–_

She remembers–

Remembers–

 _Kami-sama._

 _Ma's dead._

…

…

… It has nothing to do with her, Kiyo thinks. The dragon, Zabuza, had attempted to _devour_ her forest, and was the source of so much grief for her _kappa_. She owes him, owes these dragons, absolutely-fucking- _nothing,_ and none of this really has anything to do with her anyways, not since the point the mountain god had shown up out of nowhere and stepped in.

It has nothing to do with her.

None of this has fucking anything to do with her, nothing at all, nothing–

 _Absolutely nothing–_

 _NOTHING–_

"Wait a moment, please."

The startled look on the mountain god's face as he is about to seal both dragons is enough to match her own feelings when he spins to look at her, and Kiyo almost immediately regrets the words that spill out from her mouth.

Almost.

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* * *

 **5/04:** Slight editing of the chapter. _from the very first time_ has been updated recently. Also posted a new story, _nine point eight,_ featuring an SI-Uchiha Izumi, so please check that out if you're interested!

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…

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Author's Notes:

Exams coming up soon, but afterwards I should have more time to write. :D Apologies for the delay in completing this chapter. First posting, so I'll make an edit of the chapter and go through grammar mistakes and stuff later.

I have a small **poll** up on my profile to try and gauge readers' interest in my fics to see which plot bunnies I should try focusing on for the summer. _**Please head over and vote!**_ wild current is one of the many options I have up there so far, though there always exists the possibility of chasing after shiny new plot bunnies…

…

We should be wrapping up the dragon scene here in the next chapter. After that will be more exploration into the whole spirit!AU premise of the Naruto-verse in this fic! Kinda excited for that here, actually. :3 Canon cast will come in slowly, but expect there to be a fair few OCs too, I guess. I'll try to keep the OCs to a minimum.

… I still can't believe I went an entire chapter referring to the mountain god as "the mountain god" without inserting a name…

Kiyo didn't do anything in terms of battle in this chapter –she's not much for battle anyways, not this early on while she has yet to fully come to terms with the whole kami thing, so I hope no one got too bored in this chapter? She'll get more spotlight while negotiating for the dragons in the next chapter, though. Fun stuff, that.

* * *

 **QUESTION:** Thoughts/comments on dragon!Zabuza and dragon!Haku thus far? Tbh my mind keeps flashing to Spirited Away!Haku when writing about Naruto!Haku-dragon here, which makes it a little awkward.

… Come to think of it, any thoughts about sticking Spirited Away aspects into _wild current?_ Because that certainly seems like something interesting to try out later on in the fic. :D

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Till next time,

XxZuiliu


	6. of words and of strength

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Title: as the wild current sings, clarity over skies

Rating: T

Summary: Nagase Kiyo. Former college student, part-time dish-washer; also the very unfortunate victim of a very fatal traffic accident. Currently the resident river kami of a small stream in the middle of nowhere. Or rather, as it turns out… "Damn you, Kishimoto. Shinobi world my ass!" [OC, Spirit!AU, Very AU]

Warnings: Nothing noteworthy so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

(AN at the bottom.)

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* * *

 **as the wild current sings, clarity over skies**

06:

 _"Take a stand and speak your mind."_

[The Two Dragons: 3/4]

* * *

.

"What is it, little river?"

It comes as a relief, that the mountain _kami_ doesn't speak to her in _that voice,_ with all the clear authority of a god that thunders over the air and rumbles beneath the earth. But Kiyo can't bring herself to relax quite just yet. After all, he had literally gone and _dropped an entire mountain_ on the dragon out of nowhere mere moments ago; Kiyo didn't exactly want to tick off someone like that. Yet, at the same time…

The girl-god twists her hands a little, the pale hands of a tiny child.

"This mountain," Kiyo makes a hapless sort of gesture at the towering mass of earth and stone that the dragon has been trapped under. "… How long to you intend to keep it here, exactly?"

The golden-eyed god blinks in surprise at her strange question, before answering. "As long as it is necessary. You're still young, so you may not have heard much of the news on surrounding lands… I will tell you this: Zabuza is _dangerous,_ little river. We cannot let him roam free, cannot allow such an element to leave our borders wild and unchecked. To do so… the resulting death and destruction would be most catastrophic."

"… But you can't keep it here." Kiyo slowly lifts her gaze and looks the other _kami_ directly in the eyes. "This mountain. You can't keep it here."

He frowns.

"Little river–"

She holds up a hand to forestall the impending lecture on _duty_ and _responsibility_ that she somehow just _knows_ is coming _._ "He's dangerous, I get it. Look, he was well on his way towards draining the entire forest earlier, and you _saw_ what he was trying to do to me when you got here, didn't you? I understand the situation, and I know firsthand how dangerous the dragon can be."

Kiyo pauses for a moment at this point, trying to gather her thoughts and muster up her next words. How will she argue this? How will she be able to present this case in a plausible light that will make it clear that sealing away the dragons would be a _mistake_ for perfectly practical reasons? Because it's actually _not,_ not exactly, but–

But, the dragons shouldn't be sealed away.

Despite what they'd done… they shouldn't be sealed away.

… Why would she even think this way? Why does she even bother? For goodness' sake, _why_ in the world is she even _trying_ to _save_ these dragons? Why, why, _why–_

Ah.

Ah, that's right.

It's because…

Because…

Because there's something so bright, so blindingly, breathtakingly, _heartbreakingly_ bright about the way the younger dragon flies to the defense of the older. There's something _bright_ to the way that the dark dragon desperately wields cruel words and barbed taunts to drive the younger away, to _safety,_ and so even despite what they'd almost done to the forest, what they'd done to _her,_ somehow, _somehow…_

Somehow, in the broken vestiges of the not-heart that still faintly beats at the core of this girl-god being that is _Kiyo,_ she is still touched by that. Truly touched by, and genuinely admires that.

And so there is something that twinges in a manner reminiscent of pain inside her chest when she sees the mountain _kami_ preparing to seal both dragons away, some ghostly imprint of mocking, bitter sympathy that wells up within the cruel mimicry of a human heart that sits in her hollow husk.

And so–

And so she speaks.

"I know that these dragons are dangerous. But even so, this land has already been put through enough strain," Kiyo says. It's not exactly a lie. She may have only had the chance for nothing more than a quick, cursory glance over what damage the dragon-sickness had succeeded in inflicting upon her lands, and, well…

Well.

There's a very good _reason_ why her river- _kami_ self had been so enraged by the dragon's transgressions, and it was for reasons entirely aside from personal insult.

"The added stress of upkeep to anchor this mountain-seal would only finish the destruction that he started. I might be _land-bound,_ but I'm not… I'm not a land spirit who can tap into the core of the earth." Kiyo puffs out her cheeks and folds her arms across her non-existent chest, a childish movement that completely belies the gravity of her words as a river god. "I'm actually pretty surprised you didn't dam up the river while you were building this thing."

The frown on the older _kami's_ face deepens. "Child–"

"No, wait, let me finish first," Kiyo is on a roll now, the words somehow coming to her easier and easier the more she speaks, despite _so long_ of not having even a single soul to share her voice with in the quiet anguish of her longtime solitude. "I'm thankful for your help. I'm grateful that you stepped in. But sealing both dragons… the forest will not survive. And I will not stand for that."

There is an eerie glow to the mountain god's golden eyes as he looks at her again. "… Admirable, little river, but you exaggerate. While it is true that the nature of this seal draws from the energies of the land, it will take no more and no less than what the land can afford to give."

"Not with two dragons," she counters him, a thrill of something that feels dangerously akin to panic thrumming through her veins. Or is it adrenalin? Kiyo can't really tell anymore, doesn't really know, not with the heavy pounding in her ears. _It would be so easy for him to kill me, wouldn't it? How does it happen? How do gods die? How can you kill a god?_ "With one, perhaps. But with two? Pardon my rudeness, but even if you remain here to regulate the seal yourself, the energy that is required to maintain such a feat will drain the land dry."

She's stretching the truth a little, here. Sealing two dragons –it might be stressful, but it wouldn't be _impossible._ Definitely not _lethal;_ the land would recover. Maybe it would take awhile, anywhere ranging from numerous to countless seasons before balance was finally restored again, but the land would adjust, eventually. Nature was good at adapting, and the parasitic seal was benign enough in nature to not overly leech the _Flow_ of the earth in her land.

In short, any damage done by this mountain seal wouldn't be _permanent,_ wouldn't be wholly irreversible. She can _feel_ what the land is telling her. Kiyo knows that… and so does the mountain god. She knows the other _kami_ knows that, too. Yet for some insane reason she _still_ persists in challenging his judgment, because it's…

It's…

It's not _wrong,_ no, but neither can she say that it feels _right_ to just… to just let him seal away the dragons like this, casting creatures of the water deep into the dark belly of the black earth.

No, Kiyo does not have the heart of a god.

(Do gods still have hearts?)

"Why?"

The mountain god has an unreadable expression on his face. He has probably already inferred that her reasons for opposing his decision aren't precisely the token explanations she had offered on the surface, but Kiyo doesn't really know how to explain this feeling, doesn't really know what to say. She definitely doesn't feel entirely human at this moment –not floating several hundred feet above the forest with the song of the river flowing through her veins and a dragon at her feet– but she doesn't think a _kami_ would be so easily affected by something like a heart.

Because a _kami's_ first and foremost duty is to that from which they were born, wasn't it?

… Sort of, at least?

Kiyo thinks she knows what the other god is asking of her with the single word _why,_ but she doesn't know how to respond. _Why do I care? Why would I ever care for the fate of these dragons?_

How does she respond to this?

…

 _I care._

 _I care because I have a still-beating heart, and though I am a kami, that does not define me._

 _Me? I am not just a kami, the same as how I am not just a human girl. Don't you know? Before being a fish in the stream, the wind in the trees, the rock-carving current in the bed of this wild river, I am Kiyo._

 _The human is dead, the kami is silent, but Kiyo still has a heart._

 _And I am Kiyo._

 ** _I am–_**

…

For a moment, the silence stretches on for eternity between them, and the world around them watches and waits with baited breath. Kiyo can _feel_ the eyes of the varied creatures of her forest looking at her, this little slip of a reclusive river spirit-god who stands against the decree of a higher _kami._

 _(I am the mountain from which this river springs forth and flows._

… Huh. Did that make this scary mountain god her _dad,_ in a way?

Wait, no, she's getting sidetracked. Bad Kiyo, bad time to be getting sidetracked here. This is no time for tangential distractions, silly little girl.)

"You ask me why I refuse this sealing? I refuse it because it's _wrong."_

As soon as these words leave her mouth, it feels like a huge _weight_ has been lifted from her shoulders, the disappearance of some set of invisible shackles that she hadn't even been aware were ever present before. The soft river-song in her veins goes from the quiet trickle of a gurgling brook to the high crescendo of a swift current's thunderous _roar,_ and Kiyo can see her own image reflected in the other kami's eyes, the child with river-water hair and ice-crystal eyes that shine true and bright.

She sees how the mountain god's eyes widen in surprise, colored with something that looks startling akin to blatant shock, but she doesn't pay too much heed to it. In this moment, her mind is refreshingly clear; bright and pure as the dappled surface of the river-current under morning sun.

"My name is Kiyo," she tells the other god, childish voice ringing high and clear. "I challenge your decision. I do not believe that it is in the nature of these dragons solely to sow havoc and create evil. If that were the case, then we would not witness such loyalty, such devotion between them. And _that,_ they do not deserve punishment for."

The mountain kami sucks in a sharp, amazed breath. Or perhaps, is it incredulity? "You cannot mean to release them unchecked upon these lands, simply because of that!"

"No, I don't." Kiyo agrees easily, amiably. The mountain _kami_ still looks a little stunned by her sudden change in demeanor, and doesn't seem to know quite how to reply to this sort of response. Okay, she might disagree with him on the whole 'seal away both dragons under a mountain because they're dangerous' thing, but not by _that_ much. "I've told you, I know firsthand how destructive they are, and what they are capable of."

To his credit, the other god has gotten over his surprise by this point… mostly. Instead, he regards her with a curious, contemplative look.

"You do not disagree that they are a problem. But you do not believe sealing them is appropriate?"

Kiyo shakes her head. The _kami_ of the earth lets out a thoughtful hum.

"What solution would you propose, then?"

The little girl smiles.

" _This."_

It's strange. The mountain that had seemed so impressive, so immovable, so impenetrable before –Kiyo simply tugs on her connection to the river now, faint pinpricks of light dancing across her eyes, and _wills._ Water is gentle, is smooth, but water can wear down even the hardest stone. And the mountain _kami_ does not oppose her dismantling his seal; if anything, he actively cooperates with her, and the mountain-seal shines with a brilliant, searing light for a good few moments before disintegrating to the wind.

But whereas the mountain god withdraws his presence at this point, Kiyo does not. Instead she offers a thin tendril of the water-current, her river-song, to both of the dragons.

 _Choose,_ she mouths to them. If they do not take the alternative she has argued for their sake, then the mountain god will simply take them elsewhere to be properly sealed, in a desolate land of ruin and rime. But in the end it is only an opportunity, a choice that she has secured for them, and she will not take away from them the decision to determine their own fates.

For a heartbeat, nothing happens.

Then, grudgingly –and likely only because _anything_ is better than getting crushed under a seal of complete darkness, weak and helpless– Zabuza inclines his head, and allows the Flow of the river to wash throughout his body. There is a glimmer of faint blue light reflected upon his scales, and then it disappears.

Haku follows Zabuza's movements, and the process repeats.

This done, Kiyo looks back towards the mountain god, who is… _smiling?_

 _Urk?_

"Binding them to the river. Clever," he says approvingly, seemingly not at all affected or insulted by her previous actions. Which, in hindsight, was quite rather rude and headstrong. "So they will be unable to leave your lands, and are limited by your power. Not as… _extreme_ as a full sealing, I suppose, but well enough for these purposes."

Kiyo does not tell him that what he says is not quite accurate, because what she offered the dragons was a _contract,_ and those are not quite the terms _._ Neither of the dragons says anything about it, either.

"Well met, little Kiyo. I am he who is called Hayama," the other _kami_ tells her, reaching out and ruffling her head as a proud father might do a child who has surprised him. "And in regards to these dragons, I will trust your judgment. You may be young, but you are truly wise beyond your years, little river. You may do as you see fit."

.

* * *

.

Kiyo has no idea what she's doing.

She really, _really_ has no idea what she's doing anymore. All the creatures of her forest, they'd been remarkably restrained just awhile before, but now–

" _Kami-sama, that was_ amazing, _that was–"_

" _Truly honored, kami-sama, please allow us to–"_

" _Kami-sama, this lowly one, would we–"_

"Um," Kiyo says, very eloquently, in all her infinite grace as a wise little midget of a river god. With the departure of Hayama, the mountain god, it feels like all the strength has gone out of her bones –not that a river has any _bones,_ but, well. Figure of speech, and all that. She feels _drained,_ and she would very much like nothing better than to just flee back to her river again and _sleep–_

… But no.

No, it's time for a change. There's no point sticking her head in the river-rocks and stubbornly ignoring everything anymore, not when she'd promised to try and _fix_ things.

.. Not that she really knows how to go about doing these things any more than she had the first time she'd been approached by a _kappa_ at her riverbanks, but…

"I, uh…" Mentally, Kiyo waves farewell to the cultivating the image of a mysterious, elegant _kami._ Well. She's never been one much for elegance, anyways. "Um, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but would you mind waiting for a bit while I take care of the dragons first, please…?"

" _You honor us, kami-sama–"_

" _Please, by all means, kami-sama–"_

" _We apologize for disturbing you–"_

"Don't worry about that," Kiyo shakes her head. "It's fine. Um…"

She turns back towards the dragons. Zabuza, night-scaled the color of smokey clouds, bleeding from battle-wounds and drained of power, but nonetheless looking at her with a hard, critical eye, tense and ready to battle for all that there is no more strength remaining in his beaten, battered body. Haku, frost-painted and crystal-polished, is much better off than Zabuza, not having fought the mountain god, Hayama, as Zabuza had done, but Kiyo is not blind. She can see the old wounds, the scars, the frailty behind his thin frame, and the more she looks, the more these dragons seem like _refugees,_ always on the move, constantly on the run, forever tired and hurting and _no place is safe–_

"… Why did you help us?" the older dragon finally breaks the silence that had settled between them. Haku twists beside him, a nervous movement full of apprehension. Because no one has ever tried to help them before, in an unfamiliar land where no one knew them aside from the names of _Demon_ and _Murderer_ and _Kin-Slayer–_

And Kiyo isn't stupid. She _knows_ that they've done terrible things, that Hayama wasn't incorrect in what he'd accused them of. She isn't blind to that.

"I helped you because I wanted to," she tells them honestly, and that's all the truth they'll ever get from her. She's not going to explain herself to them in detail, all the nitty gritty little tidbits of her rationale, because there is no need to. It doesn't matter _why_ she did it, only that she _did,_ and the two dragons are alive and unsealed because of that, if not exactly _free._

Kiyo might not really know much of what she's doing, of what she has to do, but… that doesn't mean she can't buckle down and damn well do her best and _try._

.

* * *

.

…

.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Updated! Not too long of a wait this time, right? :D … I think.

And so we finally reach a new chapter of the story, now with the dragon-conflict intro over! Kiyo really has no idea what she's doing, and we'll see more of that in the next chapter. There will also be more of Zabuza and Haku! The whole negotiation scene with the mountain god Hayama kind of wrote itself as I was typing it, and it ended up being a lot lengthier content-wise than I originally planned. It kind of works out though, yeah? :3

People have been asking who the mountain god is in the previous chapter, and here his identity is finally revealed… in like, the last-ish lines so I ended up calling him "mountain god" and "mountain kami" for most of the fic again. :'D He's actually not an OC! Seriously, he's not. No joke.

Sakura is tagged as a main character, but she probably won't be coming in for awhile. So. For anyone who's looking forward to Sakura's appearance here in _wild current,_ please be patient!

As mentioned in the last chapter, I currently have a **poll** up on my profile to try and gauge interest in my fics, mostly so I can see what I should try to focus on writing for the summer. Please head over and vote! _nine point eight_ has recently been added to the polling list of options to choose from.

 **[More updates]:** _nine point eight_ (Naruto fic, SI/OC-as-Uchiha Izumi) will be updated shortly. Also, I've posted a new KHR fic: _this road to hell._ Features an OC's story told from the perspectives of canon characters, with Vongola casted as the villain… sort of. Check it out if you're interested? 10k+ words. :3

* * *

 **QUESTION:** How do you feel the relationship between Kiyo and Zabuza/Haku will develop? Anything in particular that you'd like to see touched on, or any scenes that you'd like to see happen, maybe? :D

* * *

Till next time,

XxZuiliu


	7. of apologies and of new beginnings

.

Title: as the wild current sings, clarity over skies

Rating: T

Summary: Nagase Kiyo. Former college student, part-time dish-washer; also the very unfortunate victim of a very fatal traffic accident. Currently the resident river kami of a small stream in the middle of nowhere. Or rather, as it turns out… "Damn you, Kishimoto. Shinobi world my ass!" [OC, Spirit!AU, Very AU]

Warnings: Nothing noteworthy so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

(AN at the bottom.)

.

* * *

 **as the wild current sings, clarity over skies**

07:

 _"If you do something wrong, first you apologize. And then try to go about fixing it."_

[The Two Dragons: 4/4]

* * *

.

There are a lot of things that she has to do at this point, probably. Kiyo might not be certain of what a river _kami's_ duties and responsibilities to the land are, but she's quite sure that nothing of it involves anything about firmly burying her head in the sand (or riverbed rocks, as the case may be) to ignore everything around her, like what she'd been doing for the last however-many seasons before the dragons came along. The thing with the dragons and the mountain god, it's… it's a bit of a wake-up call for her.

A wake-up call that's long overdue, if she is to be honest with herself.

Kiyo looks out at the spirits that are still gathered at the forest edge, tittering quietly amongst themselves. Some of them take on the form of animals –rabbits, badgers, deer– while others appear as specters; strange, one-eyed creatures coated in brown fur, shapeless ghosts that drift beneath the shadow of briar patches. Still others appear as a cross between the two or a mix between animal and humanoid as the _kappa_ do, and it's hard for Kiyo to put a name to them all.

Well. If nothing else, at least she has plenty of time to learn.

"I am Kiyo," she says to her audience of spirits at large, and the whispers immediately cease. It's a bit unnerving, to be honest. "I am the _kami_ of the _Byakure-gawa,_ the river of this forest. The sickness has finally been uprooted; the forest will recover."

… She might not be sure how long the recovery process would actually take, but even if Kiyo were to sit back on her haunches and watch the grass grow, the land would be able to slowly recover on its own.

" _Many thanks, kami-sama."_

" _We are most grateful, kami-sama."_

Kiyo turns towards the group of _kappa_ huddled together to the side. She doesn't recognize any of them them, not like she did _Ryou_ who came and nearly drowned in her river so long ago, not like she did _Ryouko_ who came and asked for permission to move her tribe into the forest in the first place with Kiyo's blessing. Some blessing it turned out to be, considering the good number of _kappa_ who had been _drained_ of their life force by the dragon-sickness –dragons that Kiyo had impulsively, recklessly insisted on _saving,_ even.

Kiyo looks out towards the _kappa_ with river-clear eyes, and easily recalls feelings of resentment and envy, of an unspoken wish for the _kappa_ to just _go ahead and all die_ in her darkest moments. The very thought of it _disturbs_ her now, with a sort of strange unease that she hasn't felt for a very long time.

… If time were to turn back and reverse itself, Kiyo doesn't think she would be able to sit back and do nothing with the _kappa's_ cries for help ringing in her eyes again. So looking at them now, at their haggard frames and reduced numbers, at the few who had attempted to band together with a few other spirit-creatures of the forest to seek out the source of the sickness themselves and _do_ something about it–

It makes Kiyo feel guilty. Which she _is,_ particularly when it comes to these _kappa._ Because she had _agreed,_ kind of, had sort-of already promised _sanctuary_ when they first arrived here, hadn't she?

Idiot.

Idiot, idiot, _idiot._

"… It's my failing for waiting so long before taking action," she finally says to them, and while there is something a bit mulish and chagrined inside her chest at _apologizing_ because _it's not entirely her fault_ –it actually pretty much _is,_ which means that Kiyo needs to buckle down and _apologize_ if she wants to try and go about fixing things, _kami_ or not. "I cannot bring back the loved ones you lost, and I will not stop you if you wish to leave. That goes to everyone here, actually; if any of you want to leave, I will not stop you. But if you stay…"

The little girl sucks in a deep breath, and for a moment it feels like the very wind itself has paused to listen to the young river god's words.

 _"I cannot promise that nothing like this will ever happen again,"_ she says. _"I cannot promise absolute safety. But should anything like this happen again, you have my word that I will not wait until things have degenerated to such a point before stepping in."_

It's funny, the faint edge of _power_ and _authority_ in her childish voice, ringing with the smallest trace of how the mountain god had spoken his commands –same but not the same, the authority of a god but _not,_ not quite in the same sense. Not in the sense of speaking as a divine, unreachable being that stood above all else.

The _kappa_ look all but _poleaxed_ by the promise their little river god has given them, though… as do nearly every other spirit-creature in the clearing, actually.

… _Uh. Did I do something wrong already?_

" _Kami-sama…"_ the voice of the _kappa_ who finally speaks is familiar. _Familiar._ Kiyo casts her mind back to her memories, trying to match what she sees to a name. Yellow-green scales, a near-tremble to his tone. "We would never _dream_ to demand any promises of you, _kami-sama,_ not when–"

Ah, that's right.

 _(Kami-sama._

 _Ma's dead.)_

… He's _that_ kappa. Ryouko's child!

"Not a demand, maybe," Kiyo smiles at him. Tai, was it? Ryouko _had_ mentioned something like that before… before she… "Not a demand, but does it matter? A promise is a promise, and this promise I give to you freely, for all you have suffered. Ryouko asked sanctuary of me for her tribe. It's a little late now, but from this day forth, _I grant sanctuary to the Forest Blue Tribe of Spokeswoman Ryouko."_

Something _sings_ in the Flow of the river-song wrapped around the tiny river _kami's_ shoulders at the declaration of these last few words, a brilliant light _flooding_ the clearing amidst the stunned awe and excitement of all the spirit-creatures.

(Maybe Kiyo still don't really know what she's doing, but at least it's _something._ At least it's a start.)

It's… kind of sad, Kiyo thinks. It's kind of sad that the _kappa_ would likely see her previous non-involvement in their plight as a _test_ of sorts, a test to see if they were truly worthy of receiving her blessing. But she's not quite sure how to go about explaining this without telling them that the only reason it took so long for her to get her ass in gear was because she was angry and hurting and _jealous,_ not without terrorizing all the other inhabitants of the forest. It's also very likely that the _kappa_ themselves feel guilty as well –Kiyo might be fairly ignorant in this world, might not really know how spirit-creatures go about trying to secure favors from _kami,_ but she's more than certain that it takes a whole lot more than waltzing up and directly asking for a favor as Ryouko did.

What was it the _kappa_ had said again? Something about wanting to move onto her lands because _kami-sama is kind,_ or something?

… Tch. _Kindness,_ indeed.

It's entirely possible and fairly likely that the _kappa_ might've been hoping to take advantage of a young _kami's_ 'kindness,' much as Kiyo doesn't particularly like to think ill of the _kappa_ in the manner. Sharp-eyed Ryouko would certainly be sly enough to try something like that. All the respect and kowtowing Kiyo had seen thus far from minor spirits didn't necessarily mean that _kami_ were automatically respected from the bottom of a creature's heart and always obeyed without question…

Well. There's not much of a point being too cynical anymore, not with only a dozen or so _kappa_ remaining, the majority dead from the dragon-sickness. The little creatures were rather… fragile. And even if they'd originally had their own agenda in moving their entire tribe here, it still didn't change the fact that Kiyo had literally let them die _because she was jealous_ of the _family_ and _light_ and _warmth_ she witnessed from them instead of any other sensible reason.

So, granting _sanctuary_ to the remaining _kappa_ would simply be her way of trying to make up for her guilt, whether these _kappa_ were aware of it or not.

" _Thank you, kami-sama. Thank you, thank you."_

The other spirits would see the reward as something the _kappa_ had rightfully earned through this trial –and would likely hold their own brand of guilt and shame for doubting the _kappa's_ words of a river _kami_ being the guardian of this forest.

That would be something to address for another day, though.

For now, Kiyo turns around to address the two dragons.

.

* * *

.

The dragons.

Both of them are no longer in their full dragon forms, thankfully enough, instead choosing to appear as humans just like Kiyo herself. The local wildlife in the forest would've been _flattened_ otherwise _._ It's not altogether surprising that Zabuza's form is that of a tall, well-muscled man, covered in scars and bruises that look like they _hurt,_ complete with a fierce-looking scowl on his face. Matches the grumpy, angry vibes he'd been giving off, at any rate. Kiyo is a little surprised at Haku's human form, though. Raven-haired and gentle-faced and _pretty_ the way his dragon form hadn't made obvious, but also falling squarely under the category of 'androgynous.'

Hayama had referred to Haku as a boy, though. It… would've been a pretty awkward question to ask directly.

(Something about their appearances seem _familiar,_ almost, strange as it sounds, and part of it gives Kiyo pause. Is there something important about them that she should be remembering…?)

Casting aside her idle musings, Kiyo opens her mouth, fully intent on asking the dragons what their next plans are, given that they are bound to her river for the foreseeable future. But Zabuza cuts her off before she can even begin, a strange light of assessment in his eyes as he glances at her.

"You're a strange one, little _kami-sama,"_ he says.

"… Um, thanks?"

Kiyo feels like kicking herself as soon as the words slip out. It's probably not a compliment.

The dragon clicks his tongue, very nearly rolling his eyes. "Foolish, too. What you just did there, that is _not_ how you deal with securing the allegiance of your followers –you're lucky we killed off most of the frogs for you."

Kiyo's eyes narrow at the insinuation. "Your advice is appreciated, but that's none of your concern."

"Hmph," the dragon merely grunts at her snippy response, folding his arms across his chest. The black _yukata_ that he's wearing slips a little on his shoulder from the movement. "… Just how _young_ are you?"

"Excuse me?" The sudden non sequitur catches the girl off guard for a moment. "Young? I'm… that's… that's none of your concern!"

In truth, Kiyo isn't quite sure herself how old she is. She has the body of a child, the memories of a college student, and the experience of a slumbering river spirit for god-knows how many seasons since she'd woken up in this world.

Something about her non-answer seems to be enough for the dragon, though. Zabuza simply stares at her for a long moment, contemplative expression turning to deadpan on his face, before he finally breaks his gaze with her and turns to his younger charge.

"… She's a _baby._ Haku, we're stuck with a _baby kami."_

The effeminate boy hides a smile beneath the sleeve of his silvery-blue _yukata_ at the older dragon's laments. Very unsuccessfully, of course. "Ah, that certainly appears to be the case, Zabuza-sama."

Kiyo's eye twitches at the byplay.

It's a mistake, all the effort she put into saving two overly-destructive, _overly-sarcastic_ dragons. It's clearly, _clearly_ a mistake.

"The only reason why the two of you aren't sitting beneath a mountain of rock and regretting all your life decisions right now is precisely because of this _baby kami,_ might I remind you," Kiyo mutters through gritted teeth, valiantly resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Just because she _looks_ like a little kid in human-river god form doesn't mean she's _actually_ a little kid, _thank you very much._

… Actually, she doesn't bother resisting. The little girl rolls her eyes _hard_ and lets out a small 'harrumph' for good measure. "You _could_ just say 'thank you,' y'know. It's not going to kill you."

All signs of light-heartedness immediately drop from the scarred dragon's shoulders. And for a moment, Kiyo _sees_ it again –Demon, Murderer, Kin-Slayer. This is a dragon who has killed and killed and _gorged_ himself on the blood of his enemies; for all that Kiyo has essentially trapped him _now,_ in this weakened state –it does not change the nature of what this dragon _is_ at his very core.

That's fine, though. Kiyo never asked him to change, when she offered to save them.

… It _would_ be nice if he was a little less prickly, though.

(This subtle change in mindset, of being able to be clear-headed and _accepting,_ it's… it's part of a river spirit's nature, probably. Kiyo thinks it's probably the only reason why she's not letting out a pathetic little whimper and cringing yet, under that _look._ Whatever happened to _gratitude?_ )

"Zabuza-sama," the ice dragon's voice is soft and quiet, but it does seem to snap the older dragon out of… out of whatever unwanted memories Kiyo's words had inadvertently brought up. The younger dragon swiftly shoots her an apologetic look, before turning back to the older dragon with another insistent, _"Zabuza-sama."_

"… Yeah, yeah." Kiyo lets out a small breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in when the older dragon's attention finally turns away from her. And then Zabuza's eyes narrow at Haku. _"Don't_ even think for a _moment_ that I've forgotten what you just tried to pull back there with the mountain god, Haku. I told you to _run!_ Not stupidly stay behind and try to play hero! _You're a hundred years too young to be trying to save me!"_

The younger dragon's eyes drop to the ground at this, but the stubborn set to his jaw is more than enough to signify his disagreement with Zabuza's words.

And for a moment, Kiyo can't help but wonder what it is that brought these two dragons together like this, of such differing temperaments and personality. It's… probably nothing she wants to know, nor should ask about if she wants some sort of peaceful cohabitation with these dragons in her forest –and so Kiyo keeps her mouth silent on the matter.

Instead, she interjects with a simple, "You can have your family spats later. If you're _quite done_ for the moment, I could use some help clearing out the rubble in my forest, if you're willing?"

An inscrutable eye flickers to her, and Zabuza's voice comes out as something suspiciously level and neutral. "… You're _asking,_ little baby _kami-sama?"_

 _(Are you asking, not commanding? Not even with the contract that lies between us?)_

Kiyo throws up her hands in the air to the world at large, _"I'm not a baby!"_

( _Yes,_ I'm asking, you overgrown lizard. Now are you going to help, or not? You're the entire reason why there's even a mess to clean up in the first place!)

Zabuza stares at her strangely for a moment before he looks away and snorts dismissively. "… 'Course you are, don't deny it. Only a _baby_ would be enough of an idiot to do something as foolish as you did. Haku, take the little baby _kami-sama_ and start helping her with the cleanup. I'll be with you shortly."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama."

"Oh, for goodness' sakes, I'm _not_ a–" the diminutive little girl-god breaks off into a small scream of frustration when the older dragon just ups and disappears in a flurry of gray-fog scales. To her side, Haku _smiles_ –something that looks halfway amused, halfway understanding, and Kiyo pouts petulantly.

"Shall we begin, _kami-sama?"_

It doesn't occur to her much later until she's knee-deep in mud with the younger dragon and hauling out stray rocks and debris with the help of a few other forest spirits that today is the first day that she's actually acted like a _child_ in a long, long time.

Huh. Imagine that.

.

* * *

.

" _Kami-sama, kami-sama!_ There's a _human_ in the forest!"

"There's a _what?"_

.

* * *

.

…

.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Chapter 7 complete. And that's a wrap for the dragons' intro episode in this fic! Kiyo starts taking more of an active role as a river _kami_ now, so we'll finally getting a little more into the folklore aspect of things! Probably. :D … Just as a heads up, Japanese folklore stuff in this fic might not be entirely accurate, though I'll do my best to research stuff before I stick them in. Feel free to point out mistakes or add more suggestions as we go along here.

Depending on how the pacing goes, it might take a little longer before we delve into the _onmyouji_ side of _wild current._ Anyone looking forward to that? ;3 Speak up now if there's anything you'd like to see in particular. I've got a vague plan for how I want to portray the Uzumaki, though, so that's at least one thing off the checklist here.

Other updates: _nine point eight_ (Naruto fic, SI/OC-as-Uchiha Izumi) was just updated yesterday, if that's something you've been keeping an eye out for!

Current focus these days will mostly be on writing for _wild current_ and _nine point eight,_ though I have some groundwork laid for a few other works ( _Canopus, left hand, Like Pinwheels in the Wind_ ) that I'm hoping to get around to posting sometime this summer. We'll see how it goes! There's a plot bunny for a SI who goes from atheist to Jashinist floating around, too, but that particular plot bunny might've skipped town for a bit these days. :'D

* * *

 **QUESTION:** Foxes or snakes? :D (No, you don't need to have any more clarification than that. No need at all!)

* * *

Till next time,

XxZuiliu


	8. of learning and of curiosity

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Title: as the wild current sings, clarity over skies

Rating: T

Summary: Nagase Kiyo. Former college student, part-time dish-washer; also the very unfortunate victim of a very fatal traffic accident. Currently the resident river kami of a small stream in the middle of nowhere. Or rather, as it turns out… "Damn you, Kishimoto. Shinobi world my ass!" [OC, Spirit!AU, Very AU]

Warnings: Nothing noteworthy so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

(AN at the bottom.)

.

* * *

 **as the wild current sings, clarity over skies**

08:

 _"It's a little dangerous to travel alone by yourself."_

[A Tale of Tofu: 1/3]

* * *

.

The thing is, it's not like the fact that there's a _human_ in her forest has anything to do with her, not really. There are birdlike wind-spirits coming and flitting over the treetops and into the sky all the time; it's not exactly like having new arrivals stumble into her forest is something _new_ –and one would only have to take a look at all the _yokai_ loosely scattered throughout the trees and bushes to ascertain that particular point, anyways. In that sense, a human is no different from all the creatures and spirits on this land.

Sometimes it still feels like it was only just yesterday, that Kiyo first woke up and opened her eyes to the silence of a desolate forest, with nothing but the clear trickle of water-sliding-over-rocks in the riverbed for company.

Kiyo is a god. A minor one, only a small river _kami,_ small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things, sequestered away who-knows-where in the middle of nowhere –but by this point, she's already made her decision. She is a river _kami,_ and she will _be_ a river _kami._

… Even though she doesn't really quite know how to be a proper one. But that's okay, she's willing to learn. Currently, she's _still_ in the long, arduous process of helping the land recover from the Zabuza Incident a few months back. Although the surface clean-up of clearing away the heavy debris and stray rocks –boulders, really, _where had that mountain god even been aiming–_ has long been completed, but that doesn't mean the _land_ has recovered.

It's a little hard to put this into words, but… for lack of a better descriptor, she can _feel_ it, this vague, abstract sense of _hollowness_ in what once used to be full and brimming with _life._

… Probably has something to do with being a god of the land, Kiyo thinks. The gnarled strands of dragon-sickness from whatever spell Zabuza had used was something that _dug_ deep into the earth and literally _leeched_ whatever energy was within its reach. The natural energies of the land, once drained, couldn't be replenished so easily, and it was hardly like forcing Zabuza to give it back would help things any. She _knows_ it wouldn't help, can feel the truth of this fact just as surely as she feels the ever-present Flow of the river. Because once torn away from the earth, the energies would be warped, _tainted,_ and she can hardly put something like _that_ back into the earth… not unless she wanted to bring down a curse on everything within a ten-thousand _shaku_ radius. Or so Haku had estimated.

Best not to tempt fate.

So instead, Kiyo rolls up her sleeves and does things 'the old-fashioned way.' She hasn't forgotten how she's met these dragons –the little girl-god hasn't forgotten Zabuza attempting to _devour_ the entire forest and her river along with it, hasn't forgotten Hayama's words of warning of the danger the dragons pose– and it's not exactly like this is something she _can_ forget, either. But even though Zabuza alternates between a strange mix of aggressive suspicion and gruffness towards her, as ill-tempered and _irritating_ as the old dragon is, at the end of the day they are for all intents and purposes _stuck with each other_ for as long as the river-whispered contract between them still holds.

It's part of what has the dragon not being overly antagonistic towards her, Kiyo thinks. The simple truth of the matter is that it's going to be a long, _long_ time to be enemies and make life miserable for each other if they decide to take that route. They're not quite _friends,_ nothing of the sort, but… but sometimes the dragon comes to watch Kiyo in whatever she's doing, and sometimes his advice-disguised-as-snide-remarks proves to be surprisingly _helpful._

"Oi, are you planning to keep shoving trickles of your own energy into the land for the next _century?_ This might be your land, but you're _water,_ little baby _kami-sama._ If you keep this up, this isn't going to be a forest for much longer –we'll be living in a _swamp."_

" _Stop calling me 'little baby kami-sama.'"_

(The trick, as Kiyo eventually discovers, isn't bull-headedly _pushing_ her own power into the empty land –it's to _nourish_ it instead; because water is change, is _life,_ and only with the presence of water does the process of growth begin anew.)

Kiyo has a job now, and knows her duty. She spends her days dividing her time between helping the land recover and checking in on the new _yokai_ in her forest –they still don't seek her for help in anything they do, but at least the rabbit _yokai_ have stopped jumping straight _up_ in shock when she occasionally shows up to their morning dew-gathering sessions. The girl-god might not know much about being a _god,_ but she does know enough of management to realize the importance of keeping in touch with everyone and _communicating,_ now that she has finally resolved to not run away anymore. Sometimes Haku shows up for awhile, and Kiyo picks up a tidbit or two about plants and herbs from the surprisingly gentle and mild-mannered ice dragon who _doesn't_ call her a 'little baby.'

So, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that Kiyo has her hands full. She is busy, is constantly preoccupied with daily tasks and other such things, always moving on to one thing after the next in her mental checklist –until one of the younger forest spirits comes bounding up to her in excitement.

" _Kami-sama, kami-sama!_ There's a _human_ in the forest!"

The little river _kami_ smiles and nods along indulgently to the mouse-spirit's loud chitters. _Ah, okay. Na-chan is as excitable as always, I see. Last time she ran up to me it was to tell me that she found a starflower, this time she... she found… she found a…_

It takes a moment, before the jumbled words from the young spirit untangle themselves and properly process through Kiyo's mind. As soon as it does, Kiyo drops the folded leaf in her hands like a scalding teacup, nearly spilling every drop of beaded grass-dew if not for the timely save of the rabbit spirit beside her… not that her attention is on gathering dewdrops anymore, because, if she just heard Na-chan correctly–

"There's a _what?"_ Kiyo asks again, just to make sure. Because she could've sworn that Na-chan had just said that there was–

"A human!" The little brown mouse chirps brightly as she scampers to Kiyo's feet, shyly twisting her tail over her paws as she puffs out her chest in pride from being the first one to bring _kami-sama_ the news. Unlike the majority of the forest's inhabitants, Nae didn't hold a near-worshipful reverence towards her –though that might have something to with the fact that Na-chan had once witnessed Kiyo blowing up at Zabuza for calling her a 'little baby' firsthand with a prime front-row seat. "It's male. Very tall, very loud. You'd think a human as big as that would be old enough to know better than to travel alone, ne, _kami-sama?"_

… A human.

Kiyo is a _kami_ now, but she was human once upon a time, and she _remembers_ it –mostly. She hasn't… she hasn't seen a single human in this Not-Ninja World (thanks a _lot,_ Kishimoto) so far, and even though she's not _lonely_ now, even though she can poke at a grumpy Zabuza or find herbs with Haku or go about talking to the spirit-creatures in her forest–

 _A human, there's a human!_

There's no real reason to see him. It has nothing to do with her. It's not like a _river god_ has any reason to go seek out a human _just because they happened to be traveling by–_

But on the other hand, a _human._ Finally, _finally_ there is a human here, after _so many_ years. So long that Kiyo had already just _given up_ on even the _thought_ of ever seeing another human again in this world, isolated as she was from _everything._

"… Um, _kami-sama?"_ Na-chan tilts her head, whiskers twitching at Kiyo's silence. "Is there anything wrong? Should we chase it out? I mean, it definitely shouldn't be too hard–"

"No, it's okay," Kiyo shakes her head. _A human, there's finally a human here!_ "Where is he?"

"To the north, _kami-sama,"_ the mouse _yokai_ responds obediently, wide eyes blinking with a faint hint of befuddlement. "The human was headed east, I think?"

"I see. Thank you for telling me about this, Na-chan," the little girl-god nods, and turns to the rabbit spirit beside her with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Ma-kun. I'll come back some other time for the dew-gathering, alright?"

"It's no problem, _kami-sama._ We are honored that you would deign to walk with us in the first place."

… Maybe it's because of the stiff formality she keeps hearing day in and day out from the first moment she met a _kappa_ in this world that finally gets to her, the _stifling_ respect that only comes from Kiyo being a river spirit and not Kiyo being _Kiyo_ –but for a single moment, the girl-god is seized by a sudden, spontaneous flight of fancy that she knows in her heart can be nothing but _right._ The girl whirls around and crouches down to the mouse spirit with an impish light in her eyes, offering a single hand to the startled mouse.

"Hey, Na-chan, would you like to come with me and do something that Zabuza will probably scowl and yell at me for again?"

It's clear to see that the brown mouse spirit is _stunned._ Cheery and carefree as she might be, there had always been a distinct line between them –common forest spirit and young river _kami._ And in this moment, with this single action, that line had been very clearly erased.

It's not very _kami-like._ Kiyo realizes that, realizes that this is pretty much the opposite of being _kami-like._

She doesn't withdraw her hand, though, doesn't turn away her clear-river eyes from shocked little Na-chan sitting in the grass before her.

 _Would you like to be my friend?_

It takes a moment. One moment, then two, and just as Kiyo is about to let the smile on her face falter, just as she thinks the mouse spirit will bow her head to murmur even more of those meaningless, _meaningless_ words–

"Of course, _kami-sama."_ Na-chan's beady black eyes crinkle upwards in what is unmistakably a responding _smile,_ and when she scampers up the length of Kiyo's arm with her hand as an initial foothold, Kiyo feels so light and inexplicably _happy_ that she openly laughs and the river _sings._

"Okay, Na-chan. Let's go!

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* * *

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"… Alright, admit it, you have no idea where we're going."

"My apologies, _kami-sama,"_ the little mouse spirit says, without a single shred of apology in her voice. "When I came to bring you news of our human visitor, he was still in this area. Perhaps it would be best to search eastwards?"

"Mm, I suppose so," Kiyo sighs. "… Now I'm starting to wonder if this is really worth all the trouble."

It's true that she had wanted to see another human being for _so long_ that it hadn't even really occurred to her to _not_ search for the human when Na-chan had told her of a person on her lands. There was no legitimate reason to seek him out –Na-chan said he was a man, right? It didn't matter to Kiyo if the human was young or old, male or female, just as long as it was another _person;_ god knows how long it had been since Kiyo last saw another human being–

(A lifetime ago, that car accident on the bridge, falling, _screaming–_

But… that's not quite right now, is it? Kiyo isn't… she's not human anymore.)

–God knows how long it had been since Kiyo last saw a person. She really shouldn't be doing this, though. Kiyo has her duties, her responsibilities, her _obligations,_ so she can't just spontaneously up and shove everything to the side to look for this one human just because there's a human in her forest.

… Surely it would be okay just this once, though? For all that she might lack proper reasons and is most certainly not even human herself anymore, Kiyo would still very much like the opportunity to talk to a person. And who knew how long it would be before another human came around if she went and missed this one?

Mind finally made up on the matter, Kiyo closes her eyes and _reaches out,_ narrowing her search eastwards from their current position. Strangely enough, she still can't find the person, not even when she starts 'looking' in other directions as well. Weird. It's almost like there's no one there _at all,_ which is just downright _strange._

Actually, speaking of strange…

The little girl-god's eyes snap open, just as the forest mouse spirit on her shoulder sucks in a short, sharp breath. Kiyo spins, turning to the rustling bushes behind her where she _hadn't sensed anything at all,_ except–

Except that couldn't be right, because the leaves and branches were _moving_ in a manner that clearly indicated–

"Whew! That took awhile, thought I was going to be –whoops, sorry, almost missed you there, little lady. Hey, are you lost, too?"

Kiyo stares.

 _It's the human._

Dark-haired, dark-eyed, tanned skin with two crisscrossing scars on his chin. There were still a few leaves drifting from his body from where they had gotten entangled with his clothes in his bumbling march through the bushes. Na-chan was right, he was really _tall_ –Kiyo is actually pretty darn sure that even if she didn't have a child's body, the man would still tower a good head over her. Fit and well-muscled, there was an easy strength in his frame and in the way he carried himself, but…

But _healthy_ would be the last word she'd use to describe this man. Outwardly healthy, maybe, but there was something _off_ about him, something _wrong_ that she can't quite find the right words for just yet. It's enough to make her doubt, though.

It's more than enough to make her doubt if the creature standing before her is even human in the first place.

Na-chan shifts uneasily on her shoulder, apparently _finally_ picking up on the vibes of something _off_ about the 'human.' Kiyo pats her furry little friend reassuringly – _it's not your fault you didn't notice–_ and turns her attention to the man-shaped creature.

"What are you doing here?" she asks it. The creature laughs, and it's _funny,_ how she can't pick out any air of deceit from his next words.

"I'm a traveler," he tells her. "Following the river like my old folks told me to so I can find a port town and settle down there, spread the family business. Where are your parents? It's dangerous to wander around in the woods by yourself, kid, especially this far out from any village."

Kiyo tilts her head at him. The creature had completely overlooked her river-blue hair and eyes, had gone and dismissed her distinctly _inhuman_ appearance without a second thought, yet hadn't started calling her _kami-sama, kami-sama._ How strange. It's a pity that he was most definitely not human; Kiyo had been quite looking forward towards meeting her first human in this world. "… You're mistaken. I'm exactly where I belong, but you're _not."_

At the sound of her childish voice, there is a shiver in the shadows, a rustling of the wind. Something in the man's silhouette _flickers,_ but then the creature's form solidifies once more as he puts on a look of confusion. "I'm sorry? Er, look, if you want to get out of this forest it's absolutely no problem for me to take you along–"

" _Foul creature, you will not steal kami-sama away from the forest!"_

For such a small creature, Na-chan can be surprisingly _loud._ Kiyo finds it touching, she really does, but at the same time… Na-chan was standing on her shoulder, and now her ears are _ringing._

"… Holy shi – _eeep,_ I mean _sheep,_ holy sheep is that mouse _talking?"_ the man's eyes are _wide_ as he _gapes_ at Na-chan, the mouse spirit bristling indignantly and glaring back defiantly. "Er, I mean, uh… I didn't expect to see… hold on a moment here. Wait, are you one of those _exorcists?_ Are you kidding me? You're just a _kid!"_

Kiyo ignores him, filing away the mention of _exorcists_ as something to ask Zabuza about at a later date. "I would appreciate it if you'd drop the act now, it's not fooling anyone."

Strangely enough, instead of showing its true form, the man _blanches._

"Fuck, that's what they always say before they turn around and pull a sword on you, isn't it? That's how the stories go, right?" Trepidation, unease. Why does it seem _genuine?_ "Look, uh, I swear I've got nothing but some fried tofu and a few coins in my bag! I swear to you I'm nothing but one-hundred percent _human,_ my name is Kaiza and I'm from–"

Ah, wait.

" _No, not you,"_ Kiyo says, because upon closer look, she can _see it._ Something about the babbling creature… something that shifts faintly beneath its skin, underneath the surface layer of its flesh… somehow, but not quite… "The other one. What–"

"Are you even listening?" the creature throws up its hands in the air. _"I'm a perfectly normal person, goddamnit!"_

"Oh, I'm sure you are. The other one, not so much."

 _Schk, schk._

Kiyo blinks, watching the man suddenly drop like a puppet with its strings cut, unconscious. There is the abrupt addition of two long, thin needles sprouting from his neck, the only source of explanation for his state. Somehow, this image seems to stir _something_ in her memory… although, this probably isn't exactly a good time to be getting sidetracked.

The little girl-god glances up towards the trees, casting out her senses. "… Haku?"

From her perch on Kiyo's shoulder, Na-chan gives a startled squeak when the ice dragon drops down next to the fallen creature from above. The effeminate boy gives a small nod in their direction, smiling softly. "Hello, _kami-sama._ Maru told me I might find you here."

Right, Ma-kun. The rabbit spirit had definitely overheard their words when Na-chan found her earlier. "Ma-kun told you, huh?"

"Yes. He mentioned that you went looking for a human with Nae, and I was… a little concerned," Haku admits. "I'll have to say, I certainly didn't expect _this,_ though."

Kiyo lets out a noncommittal hum, her gaze turning towards the unconscious figure of the strange creature again.

"… It's not human, is it?"

"Not exactly, _"_ the dragon pauses thoughtfully for a moment. "It's definitely human, just… human, and currently a little something more than that, too."

 _Eh? More than human?_

Confused, Kiyo takes another good long look at the… person, again. She doesn't really see anything different. Kiyo may not have ever met another human in this world before, but she's pretty sure that people don't have this… this, _two-heartbeats-but-not_ thing stirring restlessly beneath their skin, withering and whittling away. "Are you sure he's human, Haku? I couldn't even sense him in the forest earlier. And he looks really weird, it's almost like… it almost looks like there's something _inside_ of him, too."

"You'd be absolutely right about that, _kami-sama."_ Haku turns a thoughtful look on the unconscious man. "And if I'm not mistaken, this man is _fox-possessed."_

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* * *

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…

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Author's Notes:

Chapter 8 complete! Switched up the chapter naming format recently so it's (hopefully) a little more organized –from here on out, each "episode" of _wild current_ will be labeled with its own little arc name specific to what happens. :D I will be putting down the tentative estimate for how many chapters each mini-arc takes if the event takes longer than a single chapter; please note that this is only a rough _estimate,_ and I may have to switch numbers around if it becomes necessary. Which hopefully won't be too often. ;3

Most people voted foxes in the last update! As is clearly evident by this point, haha. Who expected to see Kaiza? :D … I don't think he's a character that comes up all too often in Naruto fics in general, so it's pretty fun to play around with his character a bit here. (Let's just say I have _plans_ for Wave, kind of, but it might take awhile before we get to that ohohoho. ;3) Next chapter will continue on with the whole 'what do we do with this fox-possessed human who wandered in here' issue. Please look forward to that!

Other updates: _daisies_ (Uchiha!OC, Third War, OC is pretty much insane) has been updated just now, so please check it out if you're interested~

Unfortunately, there's no update for _nine point eight_ (SI/OC-as-Izumi) this week. Sorry to anyone who might've been looking out for that! Attended a friend's event earlier and have some extra stuff to take care of lately, so the next chapter for _nine point eight_ is currently still in the works. If all goes well, though, there should be an update for _nine point eight_ next week. ;3 And let's try to get the next chapter for _wild current_ completed by then too, right? #writing goals

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 **QUESTION:** Spiders or rabbits? :D (Trying to plan things out a little more here; this will pertain to the next episode following the current 'A Tale of Tofu')

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Leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter, please! Also, suggestions for what you'd like to see in a spirit!AU of the Naruto-verse are always welcome. :3

Till next time!

-XxZuiliu


	9. of explanations and of foxes

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Title: as the wild current sings, clarity over skies

Rating: T

Summary: Nagase Kiyo. Former college student, part-time dish-washer; also the very unfortunate victim of a very fatal traffic accident. Currently the resident river kami of a small stream in the middle of nowhere. Or rather, as it turns out… "Damn you, Kishimoto. Shinobi world my ass!" [OC, Spirit!AU, Very AU]

Warnings: Nothing noteworthy so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

(AN at the bottom.)

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* * *

 **as the wild current sings, clarity over skies**

09:

" _The world is not as you think it is"_

[A Tale of Tofu: 2/3]

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A fox. Or rather, _kitsune._

Kiyo knows of these cunning fox-spirits, certainly… even though there are no tricksters running about in her forest, and she's never encountered one in person. Actually, it would not be inaccurate to say that most (if not all) of what she knows about these creatures called _kitsune_ comes from a life-that-no-longer-is. The problem with that is that she has no idea how accurate those stories of wily fox-spirits from _then_ translate into the current situation _now._

In truth, the vast majority of what she knows of this world at this point is either gleaned as hearsay from the fickle wind-spirits or recently learned from her forest's inhabitants, which… isn't a lot to go off of. Being a land-bound spirit stuck in a forest in the middle of nowhere tends to do that to you.

But even though there is a valid reason for her ignorance, that's still no excuse. Kiyo is a _kami,_ and that is a title that carries with it _responsibilities_ that she will do her utmost to live up to.

… She supposes that it's probably a good thing that she has a grumpy old dragon to poke for information in times like these, given her own lack of knowledge. The other creatures of the forest certainly don't seem to know what to do with the fox-possessed man, at any rate. And Haku, for all that he'd been swift in incapacitating the man, was also equally at loss as to what came after subduing the fox-man so efficiently.

Zabuza does not seem amused at their dilemma in the least.

"… It's not even midday yet. I only left you alone for the _morning,"_ the old dragon deadpans, his gaze alternating between the unconscious man and the eclectic trio of embarrassed dragon, indignant forest mouse, and sheepish _kami_ with a gradually-increasing twitch in his brow. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to interrupt his nap. "How the hell did you find a _fox-possessed_ in that time? Goddamnit, there aren't even any human settlements anywhere _near_ this godforsaken place!"

Kiyo makes a small 'hmph,' defensively folding her arms across her chest and doing her best to shove down the embarrassed blush rising to her cheeks at the old dragon's words. "… Technically, Na-chan was the one who found him, not me. Do you know how to get the fox out?"

Zabuza makes a disgusted sound in the back of his throat, a low rumble that makes the ground beneath their feet tremble as he turns and uncoils his serpentine body, pulling himself up out of the riverbed and onto the banks in front of them _._ Nae makes a distinctly scolding-sounding chatter of discontent when she is doused head-to-toe by the water sliding off of polished dragon scales, fur puffing out as she desperately attempts to shake the water out of her now-heavy coat.

"There are… _ways,_ to remove a trickster's influence over the host body." Zabuza concedes as he reluctantly cranes his head to look over the unconscious fox-man. Given his gargantuan size, the dragon's head was easily the length of the tall man's entire body and more –it was probably a good thing that the man was currently unconscious; there was no way _anyone_ wouldn't be intimidated by a dragon _towering_ over them in such close proximity. "But I would not advise sticking your hand in such matters, little _kami-sama."_

Kiyo tilts her head questioningly, and the old dragon rolls his eyes.

"For a fox-trickster to possess a human, there are certain _conditions_ that must be met." The dragon turns a discerning eye on the little girl, "… You do not know anything about the human, nor do you know anything about the fox in question. _Why_ would you try to interfere in this when it clearly has nothing to do with you? Don't you have anything better to be doing with your time?"

It makes sense, what he's saying. But Kiyo isn't asking because she's a busybody and a nosy little _kami_ who happens to be too curious for her own good; it's because… it's because she wants to talk with a _human._ Not that she can really explain this aloud, of course, but… perhaps, if she was to approach this from a different angle…

"… What's the world like, beyond this forest?"

Silence. Kiyo bites her lip, aware of how tension suddenly _ratcheted_ upwards as soon as the words left her mouth, but she can't really find it in herself to be regretting them, because–

"I'm… I'm sorry if it's a difficult question, or if it brings up unwanted memories." Honesty isn't necessarily always the best policy, but it's one that she finds herself defaulting to more and more, these days. "I guess I'm just a little curious. It's just like you said, Zabuza –there's not really anything around here, period. But even if I can't leave and see anything for myself, I'm still interested in learning in knowing what lies beyond the forest boundaries."

She's not sure if she's really all that successful in explaining herself to the dragons this way, but something seems to get across to Zabuza, because the tension in the air slowly dissipates as he looks away.

"… The world is an ugly place, little _kami-sama._ Ugly, and cruel. _You know not of what you wish for, in your ignorance."_

As harsh and biting as his words are, there is no malicious intent behind them, and they are not meant to harm. Kiyo knows Zabuza well enough by this point to see this.

"Enlighten me, then." It's not a petulant demand, nor is it an authoritative command. A request, a question. An invitation to elaborate. Kiyo cocks her head. "Is it really so terrible? _Everything?"_

She doesn't really believe that _everything_ the world has to offer is bad (what would even be the _point_ of a world like that?), but Kiyo is aware that Zabuza and Haku's experiences, prior to their arrival in her forest… suffice to say, they probably hadn't experienced anything good, if the mountain god Hayama's reaction to them was any indication of things. Even so, she can't stop herself from asking, can't stop herself from _wondering_ what everything out there is like.

Most days, she can preoccupy herself with her forest and stop herself from thinking about the world beyond her forest. But it's true that there's always a vague curiosity in the back of her mind, wondering at what the world has to offer.

… It's probably human-Kiyo wondering that more than it is _kami-_ Kiyo.

Surprisingly, Zabuza doesn't give her a direct answer, instead roughly turning to the fox-possessed human again in a blatant change of conversation topic. "Humans have ways of trying to drive out the spirits in those who are possessed, some clumsier than others. Stronger spirits are always harder to banish than weaker ones. This one… the fox's energies aren't that strong. Take a closer look, little _kami-sama,_ you can see that for yourself, too."

… He's _right._

Kiyo is a lot better at commanding the Flow now than she was in the beginning, but sometimes her spotty instincts as a _kami_ still rear up and make a nuisance of themselves. When she looks at the unconscious human again –not just the a simple glance of a curious little girl, but when she _looks,_ as the river _kami_ of the forest, she sees fluttering pulses of blue-bright light scattered throughout the man's body like a thousand tiny fragments of fluttering stardust.

Lights that might as well be _nothing,_ compared the veritable _supernova_ that is Zabuza coiled next to the river.

"It's weak enough that you could probably command it to show itself, and it would have no choice but to obey."

At that, Kiyo pauses. "Wait, what? How does that even work?"

Zabuza arches an incredulous eye at the little girl-god. "… Do you really need me to explain this, too? Why do you think every little scrappy spirit in this forest is always falling to throw themselves at your feet?"

Well…

The dragon's brow twitches. It would be a funny sight, if it didn't look so out of place on the face of a dragon. _"Are you fucking kidding me?!"_

Kiyo turns to mild-mannered Haku instead. "Explanation, please?"

There's a faint expression of surprise on Haku's features as well, but at least Haku is still willing to put things into words. "Hierarchy and authority, _kami-sama._ This forest is your domain, so anyone who dwells upon your lands must defer to you. More than that, though… it is simply by _nature._ You are a river god, and thus you are elevated above the common spirits simply for the duties you perform, and for the power you hold. Other spirits will always recognize that."

"Basically, any _kami_ can command most common spirits. _Is that enough explanation for you?"_ Zabuza growls from the side, and Kiyo rolls her eyes, doing her best to hide how _unsettled_ she feels by Haku's words. It's almost… unnerving. She hadn't thought too deeply about the automatic obedience of her forest's inhabitants before, always trying to just get used to the incessant calls of _kami-sama, kami-sama, kami-sama–_

(Does someone like her even _deserve_ to be a _kami?_ )

"Just command the fox to show itself so we can get on with this already."

Kiyo looks at the dragons. Looks at the unconscious human. Looks down at little Na-chan, who's been quiet as quiet as a mouse all this time, looking up at her with wide, trusting eyes.

And she knows what she, _Kiyo,_ will do.

"… I've changed my mind. I'll just take him to the other side of the forest so he can just be on his merry way when he wakes up. He's not really in any danger; the _kitsune_ doesn't seem strong enough to affect him." Kiyo bends down and picks up a leaf from the ground, closing her eyes and reaching for the ever-present Flow. A shimmering blue light covers the small leaf, and Kiyo thinks of the image of a bird, reflected in her river waters. Something to transport the human to the forest's borders; Kiyo thinks she's had enough excitement for one day.

"Hm… maybe I should do a little something to apologize for knocking him unconscious…?"

A sudden shift in the air.

It is all the warning she gets.

It's lucky that Kiyo is as well-connected to the Flow of the river as she is, because it's all instinct and nothing else that has Kiyo melting away in a splash of water when _claws_ tear through her body from head to toe, sharp as knives. There is a guttural snarl from somewhere behind her; Zabuza, most likely –and Kiyo has just barely managed to re-form herself atop the river's surface when she catches sight of the mess and commands, _"Stop!"_

Everything freezes.

In a river-blue haze, everything _freezes._

… She didn't _mean_ to imbue her words with the Flow, didn't mean to call upon the slow, crushing pressure in the currents of the deep. Intentions mean nothing, though; actions mean _everything._

Kiyo walks across the river, stepping barefoot onto the grass, and finally reaches the no-longer-unconscious man who'd suddenly sprouted claws and attacked her. Not tried to _kill,_ because even if Kiyo hadn't avoided it, a spirit on this level would never be able to harm her. Kiyo knows this as surely as she knows each stone in her riverbed, knows this as surely as she knows that the sun rises in the east and slumbers in the west.

It's interesting that it tried to attack her, though, particularly given Haku and Zabuza's earlier explanation about a _kami's_ apparently divine authority over common spirits.

"Care to explain, little _kami-sama?"_ Zabuza drawls sardonically, and Kiyo heaves a mental sigh, inwardly preparing herself for another round of biting words about showing _weakness_ and being _indecisive–_ "I'm impressed. You've got guts, directly calling out a _kitsune_ like that."

… Wait, what?

"I thought it was only a fox spirit," Haku murmured softly from the side, eyes contemplative. "I apologize, it's my mistake. I did not realize it was a tailed _kitsune_ on top of that, weak as its essence is. Two tails, is it? … No. Only one tail. That's… that's the same as any fox spirit, isn't it? But then, how–?"

Tails. One tail signifies an average fox spirit. Two tails… elevated the status to _kitsune,_ according to what he was saying?

Wait, wait, could someone tell her when fox spirits and _kitsune_ became two different things?!

(Seriously, Kishimoto. As if it's not enough that you had to get the setup of the entire world wrong, you also decided to screw with the terminology? _Seriously?_ )

The man –with slit eyes that glowed scarlet, elongated claws and canines that were nothing if not _sharp–_ honest to goodness _snarled_ at the little river god.

" _I am Tsunami, the Untamable Tide, and I bow to none but He who is ruler of us all!"_

…

Kiyo blinks slowly.

"… I'm so confused."

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* * *

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Tsunami, as it turns out, is actually a fairly well-mannered guest, after calming down. Tsunami is also _female,_ and it's… extremely _disconcerting,_ to see distinctly feminine motions come from such a well-built, muscular man who practically _screams_ masculinity.

… Alright, so she's exaggerating a little on that last bit. Zabuza has the human beat in that area, hands down, but does it really count as a point of comparison if they're not even the same species?

Calling her a _kitsune…_ it was an accident. How was she supposed to know that fox spirits and _kitsune_ were apparently two distinctly different things in this world? _They're the same thing, for heaven's sakes!_ Wasn't 'kitsune' just 'fox?' … But no, apparently it was _different._ Fox spirit simply referred to any spirit of fox form, while _kitsune_ meant a fox spirit who had at least two tails.

And apparently, there was some story behind why Tsunami had reacted so negatively to being 'recognized' as a _kitsune._ Zabuza and Haku seemed to know something about it, but given Tsunami's presence…

Kiyo thinks it would probably be better to ask later after the _kitsune_ had left her forest.

As of the moment, though…

"Please accept my humble apologies," Tsunami lowers her –his?– head in an incredibly elegant gesture. Kiyo doesn't think she could ever replicate that feat if she'd _tried._ "It was not my intent to deceive you or yours, and I… I am sincerely sorry for my overreaction, earlier. If I may have the opportunity to explain myself and appease your anger, I– … I… If I may be so bold, would you please hear my story before casting judgment, _kami-sama?"_

To be honest, Kiyo isn't angry at all. Vaguely miffed, perhaps, but not _angry,_ not like Tsunami seems to think she is. It's probably because the _kitsune_ is currently so weak as to not even register as a potential threat to her senses that has her dismissing her –him?– so easily.

Kiyo is, however, curious.

"The stage is yours, Tsunami."

Sitting on the riverbanks with two dragons coiled around them and a mouse spirit sitting on her shoulder, the little river god props up her elbows on her knees, resting her face in her hands, and listens to the _kitsune_ -possessed speak.

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…

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Author's Notes:

Merry Christmas! Chapter 9 complete. Apologies for the delay.

So, continuing on with Kaiza's story in this chapter. In case people still aren't clear on it by this point, Kaiza is the deceased hero of Wave in canon Naruto-verse, who was killed by Gato prior to Team 7's arrival. In _wild current_ here, however, he is simply just a young chap trying to seek his fortune in this world. For now, anyways. Kaiza's section will end with the next update (hopefully), and after that we'll be moving on to a new episode.

Who expected to see Tsunami? xD No comment on our favorite bridge builder and his grandson just yet, though. If all goes as planned, they'll pop up much later on in the story. Should be fun, no?

No promises of regular updates quite just yet, sorry. I'll try to see what I can do over break, though.

Also, new fic: _they seem like flowers, and yet._ It's pretty short so far since it's just the intro, but basically it's a new plot bunny featuring an Iwa-nin!OC being reborn in Konoha. Check it out if you're interested in it?

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 **QUESTION:** What's the first thing that comes to mind for you when you think of New Year's? :D

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Happy holidays, everyone!

-XxZuiliu


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